AAS 95-343

A Prototype Onboard Processor for LEO Control Using a GPS Receiver

R. G. Gist, S. E. Williams, M. D. Menn and C. C. Chao, The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA

Abstract

This paper presents a prototype on-board processing system to station-keep a vehicle in a 1700 kilometer altitude orbit based on navigation information from an on-board GPS receiver system. The target orbit is a member of the well-known class of "frozen" orbits. Once significant deviation from the target orbit is detected, a bi-elliptic orbit correction is executed which maintains the frozen conditions. A Kalman filter estimator for stabilized Keplerian parameters is used to simulate navigation of a satellite using GPS measurements. Significant cost savings could be realized by a reduction of ground support required for such an autonomously navigated vehicle.