Fully Decentralized Cooperative Navigation for Spacecraft Constellations

This article proposes a method to decentralize the navigation burden and improve fault tolerance for spacecraft constellation. The constellation body reference system is introduced, which perifocal frame of one satellite in structure proposed constructed enable each estimate its own orbit this system. step essentially relative determination (OD) based on inter-satellite range measurements. Thereafter, approach transfer an from inertial developed. essential requirements absolute measurements realize coordinate are presented. By dividing OD into transfer, subsystem operated can be independent with others, collected by any contribute whole applies constellations geometric configuration. A Walker taken as example numerical simulations. results show that has lower computation compared integrated With same type measurements, higher accuracy convergence velocity than conventional decentralized algorithms. When occurs fault, other not affected using method, beyond ability methods.