An Improved Equivalent Squint Range Model and Imaging Approach for Sliding Spotlight SAR Based on Highly Elliptical Orbit

As an emerging orbital system with flexibility and brand application prospects, the highly elliptical orbit synthetic aperture radar (HEO SAR) can achieve both a low orbit detailed survey and continuous earth surface observation in high orbit, which could be applied to marine reconnaissance and surveillance. However, due to its large eccentricity, two challenges have been faced in the signal processing of HEO SAR at present. The first challenge is that the traditional equivalent squint range model (ESRM) fails to accurately describe the entire range for the whole orbit period including the perigee, the apogee, and the squint subduction section. The second one is to exploit an efficient HEO SAR imaging algorithm in the squinted case which solves the problem that traditional imaging algorithm fails to achieve the focused imaging processing of HEO SAR during the entire orbit period. In this paper, a novel imaging algorithm for HEO SAR is presented. Firstly, the signal model based on the geometric configuration of the large elliptical orbit is established and the Doppler parameter characteristics of SAR are analyzed. Secondly, due to the particularity of Doppler parameters variation in the whole period of HEO, the equivalent velocity and equivalent squint angle used in MESRM can no longer be applied, a refined fourth-order equivalent squint range model(R4-ESRM) that is suitable for HEO SAR is developed by introducing fourth-order Doppler parameter into Modified ESRM (MESRM), which accurately reconstructs the range history of HEO SAR. Finally, a novel imaging algorithm combining azimuth resampling and time-frequency domain hybrid correlation based on R4-ESRM is derived. Simulation is performed to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of the presented algorithm and range model, showing that it achieves the precise phase compensation and well focusing.

Libration-induced Orbit Period Variations Following the DART Impact

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission will be the first test of a kinetic impactor as a means of planetary defense. In late 2022, DART will collide with Dimorphos, the secondary in the Didymos binary asteroid system. The impact will cause a momentum transfer from the spacecraft to the binary asteroid, changing the orbit period of Dimorphos and forcing it to librate in its orbit. Owing to the coupled dynamics in binary asteroid systems, the orbit and libration state of Dimorphos are intertwined. Thus, as the secondary librates, it also experiences fluctuations in its orbit period. These variations in the orbit period are dependent on the magnitude of the impact perturbation, as well as the system’s state at impact and the moments of inertia of the secondary. In general, any binary asteroid system whose secondary is librating will have a nonconstant orbit period on account of the secondary’s fluctuating spin rate. The orbit period variations are typically driven by two modes: a long period and a short period, each with significant amplitudes on the order of tens of seconds to several minutes. The fluctuating orbit period offers both a challenge and an opportunity in the context of the DART mission. Orbit period oscillations will make determining the post-impact orbit period more difficult but can also provide information about the system’s libration state and the DART impact.

Multipath Error Fusion Modeling Methods for Multi-GNSS

The multipath error is considered to be the most limiting factor for high precision positioning applications. The sidereal filtering (SF) method can be used to mitigate the multipath error in the observation domain, and it has been successfully applied in the multipath mitigation in global positioning systems (GPS) and regional BeiDou navigation satellite systems (BDS2). However, there are few reports on the SF method in other systems. The performance of the SF method relies on the explicit orbit repeat periods of satellites in diverse systems or even different types of constellations. It is therefore inconvenient to utilize the SF method for multi-GNSS multipath error mitigation. Alternatively, a space domain multipath error reduction method, which establishes the multi-point hemispherical grid model (MHGM) using the residuals of the double-differenced carrier phase observations in the ambiguity-fixed period, has been modified. It is an integrated model for multi-GNSS, without considering the diversity of different systems and constellations. To compare the performance of MHGM and SF from a multi-GNSS point of view, the determination method of orbit repeat periods via the broadcast ephemerides is summarized, and the SF method is extended to the global BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS3) and Galileo navigation satellite system. Further test results show that the performance of MHGM and SF are comparable from the perspective of root mean squares (RMS) and the power spectrum analysis of double-differenced residuals, as well as the static positioning results. This implies that the space domain MHGM can obtain similar correction effects as the SF method in the observation domain, but the former is more flexible for modeling with various systems’ data. In addition, the established MHGM using the data of multi orbit periods demonstrates a better performance compared with that of only one orbit period, and an average improvement of 13.1% in the RMS of the double-differenced residuals can be achieved.

UWE-4: First Electric Propulsion on a 1U CubeSat—In-Orbit Experiments and Characterization

The electric propulsion system NanoFEEP was integrated and tested in orbit on the UWE-4 satellite, which marks the first successful demonstration of an electric propulsion system on board a 1U CubeSat. In-orbit characterization measurements of the heating process of the propellant and the power consumption of the propulsion system at different thrust levels are presented. Furthermore, an analysis of the thrust vector direction based on its effect on the attitude of the spacecraft is described. The employed heater liquefies the propellant for a duration of 30 min per orbit and consumes 103 ± 4 mW. During this time, the respective thruster can be activated. The propulsion system including one thruster head, its corresponding heater, the neutralizer and the digital components of the power processing unit consume 8.5 ± 0.1 mW · μ A−1 + 184 ± 8.5 mW and scales with the emitter current. The estimated thrust directions of two thruster heads are at angles of 15.7 ± 7.6∘ and 13.2 ± 5.5∘ relative to their mounting direction in the CubeSat structure. In light of the very limited power on a 1U CubeSat, the NanoFEEP propulsion system renders a very viable option. The heater of subsequent NanoFEEP thrusters was already improved, such that the system can be activated during the whole orbit period.

Performance measure of satellite flying in coplanar and non-coplanar formation

In order to fulfil specific mission objective demand, spacecraft performance can be further optimized by means of various methods or configurations. Like for instance, selection of orbit type and inclination with a periodically repeated ground track will ensure the high efficiency of ground target coverage be accomplished throughout the whole duration of mission. Unfortunately, a single monolithic satellite most often unable to accommodate the requirement solicitated by many multi background users. So, to deal with the issue, an alternative solution would be to operate a swarm of satellites flying in synchronized formation. In this paper, three satellites flying in co-planar and non-coplanar formation were simulated. Here, the resulting model of two deputy satellites operating in the same orbital plane but different phase angle moved along the orbit path while both still maintaining constant relative distance with the non-coplanar chief spacecraft throughout the whole orbit period were presented. The use of unique projected circular orbit (PCO) formation arrangement allows the assessment of some important performance measure parameters like average overlapping coverage area and optimum swath width coverage distance. For the determination of area on the surface of the Earth overlapped by three satellites, the analysis was done using the multiple boundary overlap condition. Parametric studies were conducted involving different formation distance and formation height to observe pattern variation of average total overlapping area and maximum coverage distance. Preliminary result showed that at a specific Earth central angle, the total overlapped area decreased substantially with the increased distance in formation. Height factor does not have significant influence in the total overlapped area variation due to constraint imposed on satellites operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) altitude regime. Results were tabulated using 3-dimensional graphs to study the relationships exist between multiple variables. Finally, conclusions were made based on our findings with regards to the performance of positioning satellites in such configuration.

A Two-Dimensional Solar Tracking Stationary Guidance Method Based on Feature-Based Time Series

The amount of satellite energy acquired has a direct impact on operational capacities of the satellite. As for practical high functional density microsatellites, solar tracking guidance design of solar panels plays an extremely important role. Targeted at stationary tracking problems incurred in a new system that utilizes panels mounted in the two-dimensional turntable to acquire energies to the greatest extent, a two-dimensional solar tracking stationary guidance method based on feature-based time series was proposed under the constraint of limited satellite attitude coupling control capability. By analyzing solar vector variation characteristics within an orbit period and solar vector changes within the whole life cycle, such a method could be adopted to establish a two-dimensional solar tracking guidance model based on the feature-based time series to realize automatic switching of feature-based time series and stationary guidance under the circumstance of different β angles and the maximum angular velocity control, which was applicable to near-earth orbits of all orbital inclination. It was employed to design a two-dimensional solar tracking stationary guidance system, and a mathematical simulation for guidance performance was carried out in diverse conditions under the background of in-orbit application. The simulation results show that the solar tracking accuracy of two-dimensional stationary guidance reaches 10∘ and below under the integrated constraints, which meet engineering application requirements.

Constellation design for responsive visiting based on ground track adjustment

Many responsive civilian or military space missions require that a certain ground site of interest be visited in a fairly short period (e.g., 12 h or less). To this end, a constellation must be utilized, since a single satellite is usually unable to fulfill such a task if the ground site is selected on the whole terrestrial surface responding to random user requirements. In this paper, the design approaches of such a constellation for responsive visiting based on ground track adjustment are investigated. By using the difference in orbit period between the maneuvered satellite and the reference satellite to make the ground track shift, reachable domain belts are generated. In terms of orbit maneuvering, two- and one-impulse maneuvers are analyzed and compared. Based on the reachable domain belts of a single satellite, two constellation design methods are proposed. The first one is an analytical method which is presented to achieve global reach and implemented by uniformly splicing together the widest belts of all satellites within the range of [0°, 180°]. The second one is an optimized method proposed to further reduce the number of satellites, by splicing together all the reachable domain belts rather than only the widest belts in the equator. A hybrid algorithm that consists of the genetic algorithm and the pattern search algorithm is proposed to minimize the number of satellites. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the two proposed constellation design methods and validate the global reach performance.