Investigation of Real-Time Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking Using Extended Kalman Filters.

Abstract

The feasibility of adapting an extended Kalman filter to the real-time satellite-to-satellite tracking problem is investigated. A filter using linear propagation and nonlinear measurements is formulated. This filter accepts tracker measurements to provide the state estimates (position, velocity, and acceleration) of the tracked satellite in the local inertial reference frame. Six different filters are programmed in American National Standards Institute (ANSI) FORTRAN. These filters employ various covariance update techniques and methods of processing the measurement vector. The programs are compared for computer program storage requirements, program execution speeds, and computational precision. The computer program storage requirements are determined by utilizing the FORTRAN IV-PLUS compiler on a PDP-11/45 minicomputer. The program execution speeds are found by timing on the PDP-11/45 the filter's reaction to a typical renedvous between two space vehicles.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1978
Accession Number
ADA055115

Entities

People

  • Henry J. Laughlin

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Air Force
  • Algorithms
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Circular Orbits
  • Computations
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Data Processing
  • Kalman Filters
  • Linear Systems
  • Measurement
  • Nonlinear Systems
  • Orbits
  • Spacecraft
  • Square Roots

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Adaptive Control and Estimation with Uncertainty in Dynamic Systems.
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Computer Science.

Technology Areas

  • Space