Novel closed-loop approaches for precise relative navigation of widely separated GPS receivers in LEO

This paper deals with the relative navigation of a formation of two spacecrafts separated by hundreds of kilometers based on processing dual-frequency differential carrier-phase GPS measurements. Specific requirements of the considered application are high relative positioning accuracy and real-time on board implementation. These can be conflicting requirements. Indeed, if on one hand high accuracy can be achieved by exploiting the integer nature of double-difference carrier-phase ambiguities, on the other hand the presence of large ephemeris errors and differential ionospheric delays makes the integer ambiguities determination challenging. Closed-loop schemes, which update the relative position estimates of a dynamic filter with feedback from integer ambiguities fixing algorithms, are customarily employed in these cases. This paper further elaborates such approaches, proposing novel closed loop techniques aimed at overcoming some of the limitations of traditional algorithms. They extend techniques developed for spaceborne long baseline relative positioning by making use of an on-the-fly ambiguity resolution technique especially developed for the applications of interest. Such techniques blend together ionospheric delay compensation techniques, nonlinear models of relative spacecraft dynamics, and partial integer validation techniques. The approaches are validated using flight data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission. Performance is compared to that of the traditional closed-loop scheme analyzing the capability of each scheme to maximize the percentage of correctly fixed integer ambiguities as well as the relative positioning accuracy. Results show that the proposed approach substantially improves performance of the traditional approaches. More specifically, centimeter-level root-mean square relative positioning is feasible for spacecraft separations of more than 260 km, and an integer ambiguity fixing performance as high as 98% is achieved in a 1-day long dataset. Results also show that approaches exploiting ionospheric delay models are more robust and precise of approaches relying on ionospheric-delay removal techniques.     

Comparison of the magnetic field before the subsolar magnetopause with the magnetic field in the solar wind before the bow shock

Crossings of the magnetopause near the subsolar point are analyzed using data of THEMIS mission. Variations of the magnetic field near magnetopause measured by one of THEMIS satellites are studied and compared with simultaneous measurements in the solar wind by another THEMIS satellite. The time delay of the solar wind arrival at the subsolar point of the magnetopause is taken into account. 30 and 90 s averaging of the magnetic field in the magnetosheath is produced. The results of averaging are compared with the results of measurements in the solar wind before the bow shock and foreshock. It is shown, that _Bx$B_x$ component of the magnetic field near magnetopause is near to zero, which supports the possibility to consider the magnetopause as the tangential discontinuity. Comparatively good correlation of _By$B_y$ component in the solar wind and near the magnetopause is observed. The correlation of _Bz$B_z$ component near the magnetopause and IMF is practically absent, the sign of the _Bz$B_z$ near the subsolar point does not coincide with the sign of IMF _Bz$B_z$ in ∼$\sim$30% cases.     

脉冲推力轨道拦截可达性描述及求解方法

针对航天器单脉冲轨道拦截可达性分析问题,基于共面变轨、逆轨拦截假设,考虑能量、时间和交会角约束,提出了拦截航天器可拦截区和可发射区的概念。在航天器单脉冲空间可达范围的基础上,进一步考虑了目标轨道的约束,建立了目标轨道命中区的计算策略,对异面轨道交叉点为燃料最省点做出了解释。把拦截可达性相关的问题归纳为8个基本拦截问题,通过这8个问题的组合,描述了考虑能量、时间和交会角约束下拦截问题的可拦截区和可发射区的计算方法。采用圆轨道共面变轨、逆轨拦截场景进行了仿真验证,结果表明该方法能够快速有效地计算出约束条件下航天器的拦截可达范围,能够用于分析特定任务情况下的拦截可达性。     

深空卫星重力测量计划研究综述

地球卫星重力测量计划CHAMP(CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload)、GRACE(Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment)、GOCE(Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer)和月球卫星重力测量计划(Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory,GRAIL)的成功实施,以及下一代地球重力卫星(GRACE Follow-On)的即将发射昭示着我们将迎来一个前所未有的高精度和高空间分辨的深空卫星重力探测时代。围绕深空卫星重力测量的研究背景、必要性、可行性、卫星重力反演软件平台构建、轨道摄动和未来研究方向开展了研究论证。研究表明:深空卫星重力测量作为新世纪重力探测技术,在精化量体重力场、提高惯性导航精度、天体动力学、天体物理学和军事技术的研究,以及促进国民经济发展和提高社会效益等方面具有广泛的应用前景。     

在轨维护与服务体系研究

在梳理在轨维护与服务主要任务、关键技术及相应指标需求的基础上,总结出了在轨维护与服务的任务体系、技术体系和指标体系,提出了下一步技术发展重点建议。     

我国首次火星探测任务

我国首次火星探测任务于2016年立项实施。综合介绍了国际火星探测的历史和现状,我国首次火星探测任务的工程目标和科学目标、总体技术方案、关键技术难点、预期创新成果。我国首次火星探测任务将通过一次发射,实现火星环绕和着陆巡视,对火星开展全球性普查和局部的精细探测,推进火星地形地貌与地质构造、土壤特征与水冰分布、表明物质组成、大气电离层和气候环境、物理场与内部构造等方面的研究。实现火星探测任务目标,针对火星探测面临的各种特殊环境,需突破长期自主管理与控制等8类关键技术,取得的一系列创新成果,将为我国建立独立自主的深空探测基础工程体系,掌握深空探测基础共性技术,形成开展深空探测的基础工程能力。     

月面无人自动采样返回飞行程序设计与实现

针对嫦娥五号飞行程序多舱段、多任务、系统控制复杂的设计特点和难点,采用传统的飞行程序设计方法工作量大,状态控制困难,很难满足任务要求。提出了一种新的基于状态转移的方法对飞行程序进行系统建模,首先将整个飞行过程分解成若干模块状态机;然后针对每个模块状态机的功能划分为状态触发器、评估器、执行器和确认器,并分别开展建模设计;最后通过状态触发器和确认器将各个功能模块进行连接,形成整个飞行程序的有限状态机描述。相比传统方法,该方法具有通用性、可扩展性和可复用性等特点,对于规范飞行程序设计,描述复杂的飞行任务过程有很大的优势。采用该方法对嫦娥五号飞行程序进行了建模和设计,并给出了典型飞行过程的设计结果。在轨飞行试验结果表明,该方法可以满足飞行任务的要求,确保了嫦娥五号在轨飞行控制任务圆满成功。     

低轨巨型星座构型设计与控制研究进展与展望

近年来低轨星座计划发展迅速,低轨巨型星座已成为全球争夺空间战略资源的"新战场".首先,概述了Telesat、OneWeb、Starlink等低轨巨型星座计划的发展现状,以及中国互联网星座计划的基本情况.在此基础上,分别从星座的任务需求、覆盖特性、摄动补偿和备份策略4个方面,综述了星座的构型设计方法及其特点.然后,根据卫...     

Active shielding for long duration interplanetary manned missions

For long duration interplanetary manned missions the protection of astronauts from cosmic radiation is an unavoidable problem that has been considered by many space agencies. In Europe, during 2002–2004, the European Space Agency supported two research programs on this thematic: one was the constitution of a dedicated study group (on the thematic ‘Shielding from cosmic radiation for interplanetary missions: active and passive methods’) in the framework of the ‘life and physical sciences’ report, and the other an industrial study concerning the ‘radiation exposure and mission strategies for interplanetary manned missions to Moon and Mars’. Both programs concluded that, outside the protection of the magnetosphere and in the presence of the most intense and energetic solar events, the protection cannot rely solely on the mechanical structures of the spacecraft, but a temporary shelter must be provided. Because of the limited mass budget, the shelter should be based on the use of superconducting magnetic systems. For long duration missions the astronauts must be protected from the much more energetic galactic cosmic rays during the whole mission period. This requires the protection of a large habitat where they could live and work, and not the temporary protection of a small volume shelter. With passive absorbers unable to play any significant role, the use of active shielding is mandatory. The possibilities offered by superconducting magnets are discussed, and recommendations are made about the needed R&D. The technical developments that have occurred in the meanwhile and the evolving panorama of possible near future interplanetary missions, require revising the pioneering studies of the last decades and the adoption of a strategy that considers long lasting human permanence in ‘deep’ space, moreover not only for a relatively small number of dedicated astronauts but also for citizens conducting there ‘normal’ activities.     

面向突发任务的空间站任务重规划方法

针对空间站在轨运营出现突发任务的情况,提出一种基于启发式规则的任务重规划方法,满足了方案重规划的快速响应需求。根据任务执行的连续性特点和冲突状态,建立了空间站突发任务规划领域模型。考虑重规划过程中任务包含活动间复杂约束关系传播的影响,提出了时间回溯迭代冲突化解策略,同时依据任务执行时间间隔,提出针对间隔插空的时间冗余启发式规则。基于时间回溯迭代冲突化解策略和时间冗余启发式规则,对原任务执行计划进行实时重规划,实现了突发任务的快速响应。应用算例分析表明,提出的重规划方法可以成功地满足空间站突发任务规划需求,实现实时更新空间站在轨任务执行详单的目的。