Initial Orbit Determination from Only Heading Measurements
Abstract
This work introduces the problem of initial orbit determination (IOD) from only heading measurements. Such a problem occurs in practice when estimating the orbit of a spacecraft using visual odometry measurements from an optical camera. After reviewing the problem geometry, a simple solution is developed in the form of an iterative scheme on the parameters describing the orbital hodograph. Numerical results are presented for an example spacecraft in low lunar orbit. The principal intent of this brief study is to communicate the existence of a new class of IOD problem to the community and to encourage the broader study of hodographs and heading-only IOD.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2023
- Source ID
- 10.2514/1.a35593
Entities
People
- John A Christian
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Georgia Tech