Session
Technical Session VIII: Frank J. Redd Student Scholarship Competition
Abstract
Space-borne geolocation with a small satellite formation could provide accurate tracking of a Mars rover, a redundant navigation system in a jammed GNNS environment, or a cost-effective system for autonomously locating distress signals. In this study we demonstrate how a cluster of two or three Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites performing sequential time difference of arrival measurements could accurately determine the position of a terrestrial source emitting electromagnetic pulses. Whereas TDOA geolocation algorithms have been presented before, this study provides a theoretical basis for achieving optimal positioning performance, while solving for the initial position ambiguity through recursive filtering techniques.
Presentation Slides
Real-Time Geolocation with a Satellite Formation
Space-borne geolocation with a small satellite formation could provide accurate tracking of a Mars rover, a redundant navigation system in a jammed GNNS environment, or a cost-effective system for autonomously locating distress signals. In this study we demonstrate how a cluster of two or three Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites performing sequential time difference of arrival measurements could accurately determine the position of a terrestrial source emitting electromagnetic pulses. Whereas TDOA geolocation algorithms have been presented before, this study provides a theoretical basis for achieving optimal positioning performance, while solving for the initial position ambiguity through recursive filtering techniques.
