Spacecraft Navigation Using Celestial Gamma-Ray Sources

Abstract

As the future progresses for space exploration endeavors, spacecraft that are capable of autonomously determining their position and velocity will provide clear navigation advances to mission operations. Thus, new techniques for determining spacecraft navigation solutions using celestial gamma-ray sources have been developed. Most of these sources offer detectable, bright, high-energy events that provide well-defined characteristics conducive to accurate time alignment among spatially separated spacecraft. Using assemblages of photons from distant gamma-ray bursts, relative range between two spacecraft can be accurately computed along the direction to each burst’s source based upon the difference in arrival time of the burst emission at each spacecraft’s location. Correlation methods used to time-align the high-energy burst profiles are provided. A simulation of the newly devised navigation algorithms has been developed to assess the system’s potential performance. Using predicted observation capabilities for this system, the analysis demonstrates position uncertainties comparable to the NASA Deep Space Network for deep-space trajectories.