Vision-based navigation in low Earth orbit-Using the stars and horizon as an alternative PNT

The risk to low Earth orbit space assets has never been greater than in the 2020s. Recent conflicts have led many governments, mil-itaries, and industries to call for greater mission assurance, increased resilience and redundancy, and to make space sustainable for the future. As part of these urgencies is a growing need for autonomous PNT that does not rely on exterior infrastructure. The work dis-closed details models and illustrates the potential for using visual-based navigation to deliver this alternative assurance for space domain users. Approaches from lunar navigation are adopted for orbits with closer proximity to Earth, where using known orbit mechanic mod-els the user position can be calculated and predicted with strong performance (100 m). This is demonstrated both in a lost-in-space sce-nario and in situations of denied service. This system capability may also be adopted for future telecommunication mega-constellations to deliver a ranging signal for Earth users, known as LEO PNT. (c) 2023 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The risk to low Earth orbit space assets continues to increase in the 2020s, leading governments, militaries, and industries to prioritize mission assurance, resilience, and sustainability in space. This study explores the use of visual-based navigation to provide autonomous Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) for space domain users, addressing the need for alternative assurance methods that do not rely on external infrastructure. By adopting approaches from lunar navigation and utilizing known orbit mechanic models, accurate user position can be calculated and predicted with strong performance (100 m) in both lost-in-space scenarios and situations of denied service. This system capability can also be applied to future telecommunication mega-constellations, known as LEO PNT, to provide ranging signals for Earth users.