Abstract This paper proposes a robust finite element Kalman filter for the state estimation of flexible space tether systems, which are critical for space exploration and satellite missions. Due to the limited access to placing sensors along the flexible tether to measure them directly, the measurement of the state of these systems is challenging. To address this, a fully expandable, scalable, and robust approach is developed that fuses position/velocity sensors at tether ends, distributed fiber optic strain measurement along the tether, and a position/velocity estimation by a finite element-based Kalman filter to estimate the state of the tether system. The proposed estimator is mathematically proven to be observable, stable, and robust. The effectiveness of the estimator is demonstrated through numerical simulations of a space tether system in orbit, and the method can be extended to any flexible body system. The results of the simulations show that the proposed approach can accurately estimate the state of the tether system, even in the presence of disturbances and noise.
Highlights Expandable, scalable FE-Kalman state estimator for flexible space tether systems. Data fusion with tether end position/velocity, distributed fiber optic strain measure, and estimated internal position/velocity. Mathematically proven observability, stability, and robustness to noise of the estimator.
Space tether system state estimation using distributed fibre optical strain measurement, inverse finite element method and Kalman filter
Acta Astronautica ; 211 ; 435-446
2023-06-13
12 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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