GNSS-based relative navigation for LEO nanosatellite laser communications

The Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) efficiency of laser communications make it a good fit for development in concert with rising interest in small satellite mission concepts. The CubeSat Laser Infrared CrossinK (CLICK) mission has the objective of demonstrating the first Low-Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellite crosslink. The need for precise and accurate pointing with laser instruments motivates a formalized, systematic approach to fulfilling this need called Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking (PAT). The focus of this work is the initial Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based relative navigation pointing process for LEO crosslinks and downlinks. In Chapter 2, the baseline CLICK pointing budgets are given for crosslink and downlink relative navigation based body pointing. For crosslink, the 9 9 th percentile angular relative navigation errors are 1367 [mu]rad & 76.58 [mu]rad for the minimum 25 km range and maximum 580 km range cases, respectively.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Grenfell, Peter W.(Peter William)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kerri Cahoy.

• Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/128311

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/128311