Global field-of-view imaging model and parameter optimization for high dynamic star tracker.

Abstract

With the expansion of applications, star trackers break through the domain of traditional applications and operate under high dynamic environments. These new applications require high maneuverability and render the analyses and conclusions of previous traditional star trackers unsuitable. In order to resolve the limitation of the previous studies, we focus on the global field-of-view (GFOV) imaging performance of a high dynamic star tracker (HDST) in this paper. A GFOV imaging trajectory model is derived to correctly describe the different motions of stars imaged at different positions of focal plane. A comprehensive positional accuracy expression is obtained by analyzing the centroiding errors of stars in GFOV. On the basis of the proposed trajectory model and positional accuracy expression, a solution of GFOV optimal parameters is presented for the best performance in centroid estimation. Finally, comparative evaluations, numerical simulations, and a night sky experiment support the conclusions.