There is no equivalent of GPS in “deep space,” that is beyond the Earth Moon system (and use of GPS beyond LEO and MEO is already problematic.) NASA has been awarded a patent on the concept of the “Deep-space Positioning System” (DPS) which is a self-contained instrument concept that would use in-situ observations to provide an automated and autonomous means of determining its position in the Solar System, and at least as important, its position relative to a target, whether that target is a planet, asteroid, moon or comet. In addition, the DPS system computes trajectory change parameters, as necessary to keep a spacecraft on a planned trajectory. Implementation options include the use of a radio receiver to receive a frequency beacon from a non-in-situ source for additional navigation information over and above that which can be provided by the cameras that are the principal data source of DPS. This paper discusses the DPS instrument concept, and its potential use in deep space.
The Deep-Space Positioning System Concept: Automating Complex Navigation Operations Beyond the Earth
AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference ; 2016 ; Long Beach, CA, United States
2016-09-12
Conference paper
No indication
English
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2016
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Tema Archive | 2001
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