In-orbit relative navigation between a networked swarm of centimeter-scale femto-spacecraft would add considerable value to a range of space mission concepts and applications, such as for multipoint sensing and distributed sparse aperture interferometry. For a swarm of networked femto-spacecraft, relative position determination would be possible by inferring coarse range estimates from the received signal strength indication associated with the communication link between swarm members. This is particularly advantageous for highly resource-constrained devices. In this paper, algorithms for swarm relative positioning using interspacecraft range estimates are presented that can be applied to centralized, decentralized, and distributed network configurations. Relative navigation filters for initial relative orbit determination and state estimation are presented for femto-spacecraft swarm deployment and dispersal scenarios. The algorithms presented could also find use in terrestrial applications, in static and dynamic wireless sensor networks.
Range-Based Relative Navigation for a Swarm of Centimeter-Scale Femto-Spacecraft
Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics ; 45 , 9 ; 1583-1597
2022-04-28
15 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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