Abstract AAS 97-627

AAS 97-627

RELATIVE NAVIGATION FOR AUTONOMOUS FORMATION FLYING OF SPACECRAFT

C. Gramling - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Abstract

The Goddard Space Flight Center Flight Dynamics Division has flight demonstrated the Onboard Navigation System (ONS) for high accuracy autonomous navigation using the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) and/or ground station command carrier signals. ONS configurations have recently been extended to process low Earth orbit (LEO) intersatellite tracking data to support the relative navigation of the transmitting spacecraft. This paper discusses the performance of the ONS for relative navigation of the Earth-Observing-1 (EO-1)/ Landsat-7 (L-7) spacecraft formation, evaluated as a function of tracking measurement quality, tracking frequency, and relative orbital geometry.