Advanced tracking systems design and analysis

The results of an assessment of several types of high-accuracy tracking systems proposed to track the spacecraft in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Advanced Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (ATDRSS) are summarized. Tracking systems based on the use of interferometry and ranging are investigated. For each system, the top-level system design and operations concept are provided. A comparative system assessment is presented in terms of orbit determination performance, ATDRSS impacts, life-cycle cost, and technological risk

Tracking Data Acquisition System (TDAS) for the 1990's. Volume 6: TDAS navigation system architecture

One-way range and Doppler methods for providing user orbit and time determination are examined. Forward link beacon tracking, with on-board processing of independent navigation signals broadcast continuously by TDAS spacecraft; forward link scheduled tracking; with on-board processing of navigation data received during scheduled TDAS forward link service intervals; and return link scheduled tracking; with ground-based processing of user generated navigation data during scheduled TDAS return link service intervals are discussed. A system level definition and requirements assessment for each alternative, an evaluation of potential navigation performance and comparison with TDAS mission model requirements is included. TDAS satellite tracking is also addressed for two alternatives: BRTS and VLBI tracking

Continued study of NAVSTAR/GPS for general aviation

A conceptual approach for examining the full potential of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for the general aviation community is presented. Aspects of an experimental program to demonstrate these concepts are discussed. The report concludes with the observation that the true potential of GPS can only be exploited by utilization in concert with a data link. The capability afforded by the combination of position location and reporting stimulates the concept of GPS providing the auxiliary functions of collision avoidance, and approach and landing guidance. A series of general recommendations for future NASA and civil community efforts in order to continue to support GPS for general aviation are included

Navigation/traffic control satellite mission study. Volume 3 - System concepts

Satellite network for air traffic control, solar flare warning, and collision avoidanc

Application of GPS tracking techniques to orbit determination for TDRS

In this paper, we evaluate two fundamentally different approaches to TDRS orbit determination utilizing Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and GPS-related techniques. In the first, a GPS flight receiver is deployed on the TDRSS spacecraft. The TDRS ephemerides are determined using direct ranging to the GPS spacecraft, and no ground network is required. In the second approach, the TDRSS spacecraft broadcast a suitable beacon signal, permitting the simultaneous tracking of GPS and TDRSS satellites from a small ground network. Both strategies can be designed to meet future operational requirements for TDRS-2 orbit determination

The Deep Space Network. An instrument for radio navigation of deep space probes

The Deep Space Network (DSN) network configurations used to generate the navigation observables and the basic process of deep space spacecraft navigation, from data generation through flight path determination and correction are described. Special emphasis is placed on the DSN Systems which generate the navigation data: the DSN Tracking and VLBI Systems. In addition, auxiliary navigational support functions are described

Precise Point Positioning in the Airborne Mode

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is widely used for positioning in the airborne mode such as in navigation as a supplementary system and for geo-referencing of cameras in mapping and surveillance by aircrafts and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The Precise Point Positioning (PPP) approach is an attractive positioning approach based on processing of un-differenced observations from a single GPS receiver. It employs precise satellite orbits and satellite clock corrections. These data can be obtained via the internet from several sources, e.g. the International GNSS Service (IGS). The data can also broadcast from satellites, such as via the LEX signal of the new Japanese satellite system QZSS. The PPP can achieve positioning precision and accuracy at the sub-decimetre level. In this paper, the functional and stochastic mathematical modelling used in PPP is discussed. Results of applying the PPP method in an airborne test using a small fixed-wing aircraft are presented. To evaluate the performance of the PPP approach, a reference trajectory was established by differential positioning of the same GPS observations with data from a ground reference station. The coordinate results from the two approaches, PPP and differential positioning, were compared and statistically evaluated. For the test at hand, positioning accuracy at the cm-to-decimetre was achieved for latitude and longitude coordinates and doubles that value for height estimation

Time dissemination and synchronization methods to support Galileo timing interfaces

Precise timing is an important factor in the modern information-oriented society and culture. Timing is one of the key technologies for such basic and everyday things, like cellular communications, Internet, satellite navigation and many others. Satellite navigation systems offer cost-efficient and high-performance timing services, and GPS is presently the unchallenged market leader. However, GPS is under military control and does not offer availability and performance guarantees. From a user perspective, this situation will change with the advent of the European satellite navigation system Galileo which shall be operated on a commercial basis by civil entities and shall accept certain liabilities for its services providing also guaranteed service performances. This work is motivated by the new opportunities and challenges related to Galileo timekeeping and applications, and in particular by the necessity to (a) produce and maintain a stable, accurate and robust system timescale which can serve for both accurate prediction of satellite clocks and for the metrological purposes, (b) establish accurate and reliable timing interface to GPS to facilitate Galileo interoperability, (c) maximize user benefits from the new system features like service guarantees and support application development by enabling their certification. The thesis starts with overview of atomic clocks, timekeeping and timing applications. Further Galileo project and system architecture are described and details on Galileo timekeeping concept are given. In addition, the state-of-the-art timekeeping and time dissemination methods and algorithms are presented. Main findings of the thesis focus on (a) Galileo timekeeping. Various options for generation of Galileo system time are proposed and compared with respect to the key performance parameters (stability and reliability). Galileo System Time (GST) stability requirements driven by its navigation and metrological functions are derived. In addition, achievable level of GST stability (considering hardware components) is analyzed. Further, optimization of the present baseline with respect to the design of Galileo Precise Timing Facility (PTF), and its redundancy and switching concepts is undertaken. Finally, performance analysis of different options for generation of the ensemble time is performed and considerations with respect to the role of the ensemble time in Galileo are provided, (b) GPS Galileo timing interface. The magnitude and statistical properties of the time offset are investigated and the impact of the time offset onto the user positioning and timing accuracy is studied with the help of simulated GPS and Galileo observations. Here a novel simulation concept which is based on utilization of GPS data and their scaling for Galileo is proposed. Both GPS and Galileo baseline foresees that the GPS/Galileo time offset shall be determined and broadcast to users in the navigation messages. For this purposes, the offset shall be predicted using available measurement data. Simulations of GPS Galileo time offset determination and prediction are presented. The prediction is made relying on both traditional method and on the advanced techniques like Box-Jenkins prediction (based on the autoregressive moving average approach) and Kalman filter. The end-to-end budgets for different options of GPS Galileo time offset determination are also presented. (c) Galileo interface to timing users (Galileo timing service). The relevance of GST restitution from the metrological point of view is discussed and recognition of GST as a legal time reference is proposed. Assessment of the accuracy of the Galileo timing service is presented. Finally, recommendations for Galileo are provided based on the findings of the thesis

The applications of satellites to communications, navigation and surveillance for aircraft operating over the contiguous United States. Volume 1 - Technical report

Satellite applications to aircraft communications, navigation, and surveillance over US including synthesized satellite network and aircraft equipment for air traffic contro

Precise Modeling of Solar Radiation Pressure for IRNSS Satellite

IRNSS-1A, IRNSS-1B and IRNSS-1C are the first three satellites of Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) launched in 1st July 2013,4th April 2014 and 16th October 2014 respectively. IRNSS will provide regional navigation services independently over the IRNSS service area. For the precise positioning and navigation applications, precise orbit and clock information of the IRNSS satellites are essential. For High altitude satellites like IRNSS, Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) force is the second largest perturbation force acting on the satellites after the gravitational attraction from Earth, Sun and Moon. It is the largest error source in the modelling of orbital dynamics of IRNSS, and hence its precise modelling is essential for accurate orbit determination. In this paper different approaches were studied to develop a highly precise solar radiation pressure model for IRNSS satellites using IRNSS-1A and IRNSS-1B observation data. Since IRNSS satellites shape, optical properties, physical properties as well as the attitude information are different from other Indian Communication satellites, a novel approach has been adopted here for precise modelling of SRP. The force due to SRP has been computed analytically for each of the spacecraft surfaces in the satellite body fixed frame which is further resolved in all required directions to compute the net force. To evaluate the performance of the SRP model, the orbit accuracy is derived from 1-day orbit overlaps at day boundaries of 2-day solutions. As a result, an orbit estimation accuracy of 25 meters has been observed by the model alone, while the estimation error is observed as 2.5m.Further beside the model, 3 constant co-efficient has been estimated in the three particular directions (namely DYB) which were following a right handed system. Again the model performance with estimated co-efficient has been analysed and the orbit accuracy is derived from the overlap test. As a result, an orbit estimation accuracy of 10 m has been observed, while the estimation error is about 1m. Keywords: IRNSS, Navigation, Solar Radiation Pressure, orbit accurac