Use of GPS Differential Navigation Technology in Carina Capsule Reentry and Space Vehicle Rendezvous Operations,

Abstract

The Global Positioning System (GPS) will play a major role in space vehicle navigation and orbital determination. Absolute GPS navigation technology is applicable in the testing and practical stages of most space missions. Without ground any ground commands, GPS autonomous navigation uses independent methods to perform a number of on-board operations. This allows the amount of special ground facilities, and experimental data can be relayed to an earth station in a relatively short time. By using the absolute measured values of two customers around a certain reference station as the differential to perform the relative navigation of the two customers, using differential technology it is possible to greatly reduce the effects of precision control (SA), the ionosphere, the troposphere and other slow varying errors. Because this technology can markedly improve the precision of orbital determination, it can be used in such operations as reentry and rendezvous. This article will introduce the results of a feasibility study for the use of GPS for relative navigation between two space vehicles and space vehicle reentry orbit determination.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADA316756

Entities

People

  • Li Wang

Organizations

  • National Air and Space Intelligence Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Astronautics
  • Autonomous Navigation
  • Computer Simulations
  • Dynamics
  • Elevation
  • Equations
  • Frequency
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Ionosphere
  • Navigation
  • Navigational Equipment
  • Rendezvous
  • Space Missions
  • Spacecraft
  • Troposphere

Readers

  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris
  • Space - Satellites