Relative State Estimation for Two-Satellite Formation with Three Extented Kalman Filters Architecture using GNSS Receivers

Abstract

It have provided a description of a study that designs two-satellite formation architectures using a pseudo- ranging model based on a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based real distance model. The study uses Extended Kalman Filters (EKFs) built with the Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire (HCW) relative motion model to generate state vectors, which are then entered as measurements to obtain precise state estimations of the target and follower satellites. The study also takes into account dynamic model errors of the satellite-orbit determination section and develops a novel approach for estimating relative attitude between satellites. By using HCW equations, the study is able to account for perturbations of satellite motions in the calculations of relative satellite motion. The main objective of this study appears to be to design a more efficient and cost-effective satellite cluster architecture by using two-satellite formation architectures. By using a pseudo-ranging model based on GNSS and EKFs with HCW, the study is able to accurately estimate the state vectors of the target and follower satellites and account for perturbations in their motion, which is essential for designing effective satellite cluster architectures.