• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2011

The needs for satellite formation flying are gradually increasing to perform the advanced space missions in remote sensing and observation of the space or Earth. Formation flying in low Earth orbit can perform the scientific missions that cannot be realized with a single spacecraft. One of the various techniques of satellite formation flying is the determination of the precise baselines between the satellites within the formation, which has to be in company with the precision validation. In this paper, the baseline of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) A and B was determined with the real global positioning system (GPS) measurements of GRACE satellites. And baseline precision was validated with the batch and sequential processing methods using K/Ka-band ranging system (KBR) biased range measurements. Because the proposed sequential method validate the baseline precision, removing the KBR bias with the epoch difference instead of its estimation, the validating data (KBR biased range) are independent of the data validated (GPS-baseline) and this method can be applied to the real-time precision validation. The result of sequential precision validation was 1.5~3.0 mm which is similar to the batch precision validation.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2010

This paper contains impulsive maneuver which considers fuel consumption balance of chief satellite and deputy satellite in satellite formation flying. Thrust input is obtained by Lagrange' Multiplier method which is constructed by cost function with weight parameter of each satellite. Energy matching constraint is applied for boundedness of relative orbit, and theoretical solutions are verified by simulation results. Simulations are divided into two scenarios, with or without air-drag effect. This paper's results are expected to be used in real satellite formation flying, when fuel-balancing impulsive maneuver for relative orbit boundedness is needed.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.59-74
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• 2009

Relative navigation system is presented using GPS measurements from a single-channel global positioning system (GPS) simulator. The objective of this study is to provide the real-time inter-satellite relative positions as well as absolute positions for two formation flying satellites in low earth orbit. To improve the navigation performance, the absolute states are estimated using ion-free GRAPHIC (group and phase ionospheric correction) pseudo-ranges and the relative states are determined using double differential carrier-phase data and singled-differential C/A code data based on the extended Kalman filter and the unscented Kalman filter. Furthermore, pseudo-relative dynamic model and modified relative measurement model are developed. This modified EKF method prevents non-linearity of the measurement model from degrading precision by applying linearization about absolute navigation solutions not about the priori estimates. The LAMBDA method also has been used to improve the relative navigation performance by fixing ambiguities to integers for precise relative navigation. The software-based simulation has been performed and the steady state accuracies of 1 m and 6 mm ($1{\sigma}$ of 3-dimensional difference errors) are achieved for the absolute and relative navigation using EKF for a short baseline leader/follower formation. In addition, the navigation performances are compared for the EKF and the UKF for 10 hours simulation, and relative position errors are mm-level for the two filters showing the similar trends.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.47 no.10
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• pp.728-737
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• 2019

In this study, the minimized on-board computer (OBC) module for integrated navigation is developed, which provides satellites' relative position information in formation flying and cluster operation situations. The scalability is considered to apply the user-selected wireless communication module and Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for navigation, while considering to meet the structural design standard of nano-satellites. As a result of the product development and production, the processing speed of integrated navigation and real-time data synchronization is satisfied for cluster operation nano-satellites by using micro controller unit (MCU). From a heat/vacuum, vibration and radiation test, the OBC was confirmed to be operated in space environments. From these results, a mass production system of OBC was made which is a key part of development on satellite formation flying and cluster/constellation missions that the community demands are increasing.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2013

A collision-free formation reconfiguration trajectory subject to the linearized Hill's dynamics of relative motion is analytically developed by extending an algorithm for gravity-free space. Based on the initial solution without collision avoidance constraints, the final solution to minimize the designated performance index and avoid collision is found, based on a gradient method. Simple simulations confirm that satellites reconfigure their positions along the safe trajectories, while trying to spend minimum energies. The algorithm is applicable to wide range of formation flying under the Hill's dynamics.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.26.3-26.3
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• 2008

This research develops a GPS-based formation-flying testbed (FFTB) for formation navigation and control. The FFTB is a simulator in which spacecraft simulation and modeling software and loop test capabilities are integrated for test and evaluation of spacecraft navigation and formation control technologies. The FFTB is composed of a GPS measurement simulation computer, flight computer, environmental computer for providing true environment data and 3D visualization computer. The testbed can be simulated with one to two spacecraft, thus enabling a variety of navigation and control algorithms to be evaluated. In a formation flying simulation, GPS measurement are generated by a GPS measurement simulator to produce pseudorange, carrier phase measurements, which are collected and exchanged by the flight processors and subsequently processed in a navigation filter to generate relative and/or absolute state estimates. These state estimates are the fed into control algorithm, which are used to generate maneuvers required to maintain the formation. In this manner, the flight processor also serves as a test platform for candidate formation control algorithm. Such maneuvers are fed back through the controller and applied to the modeled truth trajectories to close simulation loop. Currently, The FFTB has a closed-loop capability of simulating a satellite navigation solution using software based GPS measurement, we move forward to improve using SPIRENT GPS RF signal simulator and space-based GPS receiver

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.962-969
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• 2007

In this paper, an approach is developed for relative state estimation of satellite formation flying. To estimate relative states of two satellites, the Extended Kalman Filter Algorithm is adopted with the relative distance and speed between two satellites and attitude of satellite for measurements. Numerical simulations are conducted under two circumstances. The first one presents both chief and deputy satellites are orbiting a circular reference orbit around a perfectly spherical Earth model with no disturbing acceleration, in which the elementary relative orbital motion is taken into account. In reality, however, the Earth is not a perfect sphere, but rather an oblate spheroid, and both satellites are under the effect of $J_2$ geopotential disturbance, which causes the relative distance between two satellites to be on the gradual increase. A near-Earth orbit decays as a result of atmospheric drag. In order to remove the modeling error, the second scenario incorporates the effect of the $J_2$ geopotential force, and the atmospheric drag, and the eccentricity in satellite orbit are also considered.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.51-59
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• 2005

In this paper, results of a multiple spacecraft formation-keeping control using the orbital relative motion and optimization technique are presented. To analyze and predict the relative motion between the formation-flying satellites, a closed-form orbit propagator obtained using the method of ephemeris compression is used. This closed-form orbit propagator is combined with optimization technique to plan a series of impulsive maneuvers, which maintain the formation configuration within the specified limit. As an example, this method is applied to the problem of maintaining the projected circular formation geometry and results from nonlinear simulation are presented.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.42-42
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• 2003

Satellite formation flying is the placing of multiple satellites into nearby orbits to form 'clusters' of satellites. These clusters of satellites usually work together to accomplish a mission. There are many benefits to using multiple satellite as opposed to one large satellites such as increasing productivity. reducing mission and launch cost. Hill's equations are useful to describe the relative motion of two satellites in formation flying, however. the disturbance forces acting on satellites is not considered in that equations. In this paper, a method for maintaining the relative distance between satellites is presented, which used mean orbital elements considering J2 perturbation. Control design process is also presented for minimizing total fuel consumption.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.129-139
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• 2007

In this paper, attitude control laws for simultaneous pointing of multiple spacecrafts are considered under a formation flying scenario. The basic approach lies in adaptive feedback gains using relative attitude information or maneuver time approximation for coordinated attitude control. Each control law is targeted to balancing mean motion or to correcting system response to the slowest satellite. The control gain adaptation is constructed by two approaches. The first one is using variable damping gain to manipulate speed of a fast system response, and the second one uses alternate natural frequency of the system under control. The validity and stability of the proposed approaches are examined analytically and tested through numerical simulations.