GPS-Based Real-Time Orbit Determination of Low Earth Orbit Satellites Using Robust Unscented Kalman Filter
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 6
Abstract
In this research, a novel algorithm for real-time orbit determination (RTOD) is presented using the robust unscented Kalman filter (RUKF) with global positioning system (GPS) group and phase ionospheric correction (GRAPHIC) observables. To increase the reliability of the solution, a robust approach is included in the UKF to cope with the bad, invalid, or degraded measurements leading to the divergence or inaccurate output of the filter. Robustness is provided by making the filter less sensitive to faulty measurements using a scale matrix that is multiplied with the covariance matrix of the observation noises. Real data collected during a massive solar storm are used in the algorithm. For external validation, the outputs of RUKF and classical UKF are compared with the precision orbit ephemerides of the Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP). The results show that RUKF slightly outperforms classical UKF and possesses the capability to be used as an efficient and reliable algorithm in case of bad observations or malfunctioning of the system.
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Acknowledgments
GPS measurements evaluated in this study have been made available by the CHAMP project managed by GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) Potsdam. Precision orbit ephemerides have been acquired from NASA JPL, California Institute of Technology. Furthermore, the authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for valuable comments and suggestions.
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Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 6 • November 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 25, 2016
Accepted: Apr 17, 2017
Published online: Jul 21, 2017
Published in print: Nov 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Dec 21, 2017
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