Citation

Abstract

There is renewed interest in cis-lunar space exploration, including both robotic and human space missions in the near future. The current CCSDS Pseudo-noise (PN) ranging standard assumes that a terrestrial ground station defines one end of the link, achieving roughly one meter ranging accuracy under nominal conditions. However, spacecraft situational awareness and demanding docking operations require cm-level accuracy, far beyond the capabilities of current Earth-based PN-code ranging techniques. Here we develop and evaluate an ultra-precise range estimation algorithm that is capable of achieving mm level range accuracy at S-band frequencies, thus meeting future requirements for cis-lunar space exploration and situational awareness.

Details

Volume
42-219
Published
November 15, 2019
Pages
1–15
File Size
824 KB