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DIRECTED
ENERGY
PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETY
Abstract: 24-Systems-109
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UNCLASSIFIED, PUBLIC RELEASE
High-Precision State Estimation on a VLEO Satellite from Single Pass Ground-Based Optical Observations
From August to October 2023, MIT Lincoln Laboratory-owned and operated Agile Microsat (AMS) performed a controlled descent from 400 km mean altitude to 200 km before re-entering on October 23, 2023. By combining existing capabilities at the Lincoln Space Surveillance Complex (LSSC), we undertook a ground observation campaign to form high-precision state estimates based on single overpasses of the satellite, approximately 5 minutes in duration. Though we were plagued by unusually wet and cloudy weather, we succeeded in producing single-pass satellite state estimates with uncertainties of 10 cm in position and 2 mm/s in velocity, and in-track drag estimates with approximately 15% uncertainty. This capability was enabled by an all-optical sensing scheme: supplementing angles-only astrometry with time-synced satellite laser ranging (SLR) data, using the satellite's on-board laser beacon and retroreflector as tracking and ranging aids. We provide partial validation against two reference sources: state estimates from on-board GPS receivers integrated over multiple orbits, and single-pass estimates using multiple neutral density models combined with the known satellite attitude and ballistic coefficient. We find reasonable agreement with both “truth" references. We anticipate our results will be interesting to researchers in the space weather and space domain awareness communities as a novel demonstration of short-track orbit determination and spatially-resolved (<1000 km) near-instantaneous neutral-density measurement. We look forward to further developing our system concept to enable low-cost proliferation and to accommodate tracking of non-cooperative objects such as space debris.
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
This material is based upon work supported by the Department of the Air Force under Air Force Contract No. FA8702-15-D-0001. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Air Force.
UNCLASSIFIED, PUBLIC RELEASE
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