Availability and ranging error analysis for a GPS L1/L5 receiver navigating to the Moon

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based navigation is already adopted in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where the presence of strong GNSS signals and the good relative geometry between the receiver and the transmitters enable precise orbit determination. However, when the receiver is orbiting above the GNSS constellation’s altitude, designing an on-board, real-time, autonomous GNSS navigation device poses stringent requirements. Indeed, in such a challenging operational environment, the signal availability as well as the ranging error can be significantly influenced by the selection of the signals and their processing. In this paper, we define different tracking strategies which provide or not an ionosphere-free combination; for all altitudes or only for some altitudes; and for all the signals or for only those crossing the ionosphere. Then, we evaluate their effects on the signals availability; on the relative geometry between the receiver and the transmitters; and on the ranging error, in order to finally identify the best strategy. The analysis is performed for a GPS L1/L5 spaceborne receiver currently under development in our laboratory, specifically conceived for GNSS-based navigation from the Earth to the Moon.

GPS based navigation performance analysis within and beyond the Space Service Volume for different transmitters’ antenna patterns

Paul David Blunt, Cyril Botteron, Vincenzo Capuano, Pierre-André Farine, Endrit Shehaj

In the last years, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based navigation in high earth orbits (HEOs) has become a research field of interest, since it can increase the spacecraft’s autonomy, reducing the operating costs. However, the GNSS availability and the GNSS-based navigation performance for a spacecraft orbiting above the GNSS constellation, is strongly constrained by the signals’ power levels at the receiver position and by its sensitivity. The simulated level of signal power at the receiver’s position may considerably increase or decrease when assuming different gain/attenuation values of the transmitter antenna for a certain azimuth and elevation. Assuming a slightly different antenna pattern, therefore may significantly change the simulated signal’s availability results and accordingly the simulated navigation accuracy, leading to an inexact identification of the requirements for the GNSS receiver. This problem concerns particularly the case of orbital trajectories above the GNSS constellation, where most of the signals received are radiated from the secondary lobe of the transmitters’ antennas, for which typically very little information is known. At the time of this study, it was possible to model quite accurately the GPS L1 antenna patterns for IIR and IIR-M Blocks because of the precise information available. No accurate information was available for the GPS L1 antenna patterns of IIF Block. Even less accurate information was available on the GPS L5 antenna patterns. In this context, this paper aims at investigating the effect of different antenna pattern assumptions on the simulated signal availability and on the consequent simulated navigation performance of a spaceborne receiver orbiting in a very highly elliptical orbit from the Earth to the Moon. Initially the impact of averaging the transmitter’s antenna gain over the azimuth, typical assumption in many studies, is analyzed. Afterwards, we also consider three different L5 antenna patterns assumed in the literature (the precise pattern are unfortunately not yet fully available). For each of the considered antenna pattern assumptions, we simulate received signal power level, availability, GDOP and navigation accuracy, in order to evaluate their different effect. Finally, once identified the most conservative assumptions for the transmitters’ antenna patterns, for each elevation of the receiver antenna, we also compute the number of available GNSS observations and we analyze their distribution.

2017

GPS Based Navigation Performance Analysis within and beyond the Space Service Volume for Different Transmitters’ Antenna Patterns

Paul David Blunt, Cyril Botteron, Vincenzo Capuano, Pierre-André Farine, Endrit Shehaj

In recent years, global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based navigation in high earth orbits (HEOs) has become a field of research interest since it can increase the spacecraft’s autonomy, thereby reducing the operating costs. However, the GNSS availability and the GNSS-based navigation performance for a spacecraft orbiting above the GNSS constellation are strongly constrained by the signals’ power levels at the receiver position and the sensitivity. The simulated level of signal power at the receiver’s position may considerably increase or decrease when assuming different gain/attenuation values of the transmitter antenna for a certain azimuth and elevation. Assuming a slightly different antenna pattern therefore may significantly change the simulated signal’s availability results and accordingly the simulated navigation accuracy, leading to an inexact identification of the requirements for the GNSS receiver. This problem particularly concerns the case of orbital trajectories above the GNSS constellation, where most of the signals received are radiated from the secondary lobe of the transmitters’ antennas, for which typically very little information is known. At the time of this study, it was possible to model quite accurately the global positioning system (GPS) L1 antenna patterns for the IIR and IIR-M Blocks because of the precise information available. No accurate information was available for the GPS L1 antenna patterns of the IIF Block. Even less accurate information was available on the GPS L5 antenna patterns. In this context, this paper aims at investigating the effect of different antenna pattern assumptions on the simulated signal availability and on the consequent simulated navigation performance of a spaceborne receiver orbiting in a very highly elliptical orbit from the Earth to the Moon. Initially the impact of averaging the transmitter’s antenna gain over the azimuth, a typical assumption in many studies, is analyzed. Afterwards, we also consider three different L5 antenna patterns assumed in the literature (the precise L5 patterns are unfortunately not yet fully available). For each of the considered antenna pattern assumptions, we simulate received signal power level, availability, geometric dilution of precision (GDOP), and navigation accuracy in order to evaluate their different effects. After identifying the most conservative assumptions for the transmitters’ antenna patterns, for each elevation of the receiver antenna, we also compute the number of available GNSS observations and analyze their distribution. Moreover, possible aiding of the acquisition process using the prediction of the elevation at which the signal is transmitted, as well as the elevation at which the signal is received, are discussed. Finally, the impact on the GDOP of using only signals transmitted from certain angle intervals of the transmitter antenna pattern and the importance of selecting the transmitters that provide the best GDOP (in the case of a receiver with a limited number of channels) are considered and discussed

Mdpi Ag2017

Standalone GPS L1 C/A Receiver for Lunar Missions

Paul David Blunt, Cyril Botteron, Vincenzo Capuano, Pierre-André Farine, Jérôme Leclère, Jia Tian, Yanguang Wang

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) were originally introduced to provide positioning and timing services for terrestrial Earth users. However, space users increasingly rely on GNSS for spacecraft navigation and other science applications at several different altitudes from the Earth surface, in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), and feasibility studies have proved that GNSS signals can even be tracked at Moon altitude. Despite this, space remains a challenging operational environment, particularly on the way from the Earth to the Moon, characterized by weaker signals with wider gain variability, larger dynamic ranges resulting in higher Doppler and Doppler rates and critically low satellite signal availability. Following our previous studies, this paper describes the proof of concept “WeakHEO” receiver; a GPS L1 C/A receiver we developed in our laboratory specifically for lunar missions. The paper also assesses the performance of the receiver in two representative portions of an Earth Moon Transfer Orbit (MTO). The receiver was connected to our GNSS Spirent simulator in order to collect real-time hardware-in-the-loop observations, and then processed by the navigation module. This demonstrates the feasibility, using current technology, of effectively exploiting GNSS signals for navigation in a MTO.

Mdpi Ag2016

GPS based navigation performance analysis within and beyond the Space Service Volume for different transmitters’ antenna patterns

Paul David Blunt, Cyril Botteron, Vincenzo Capuano, Pierre-André Farine, Endrit Shehaj

2017

GPS Based Navigation Performance Analysis within and beyond the Space Service Volume for Different Transmitters’ Antenna Patterns

Paul David Blunt, Cyril Botteron, Vincenzo Capuano, Pierre-André Farine, Endrit Shehaj

Mdpi Ag2017