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GNSS attitude determination with non-synchronized receivers and short baselines onboard a spacecraft

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Abstract

A new algorithm for global navigation satellite system attitude determination onboard a spacecraft was developed. A distinct feature of the algorithm is the extrapolation of the measurements to a common epoch within a Kalman filter. The necessity for the extrapolation arises from the usage of non-synchronized low-cost receivers. The extrapolation terms typically range from \(- 6\) to +\(6\) m for u-blox receivers. Thus, no solution can be obtained without a proper extrapolation. A validation was carried out with synthetic data as well as with signal simulator data. The algorithm delivers an attitude estimation with an accuracy below 1° for three orthogonal baselines of 10 cm length. In conclusion, the algorithm is proven to work, offering a very efficient method of attitude determination onboard a spacecraft.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Oliver Montenbruck and Markus Markgraf at DLR for providing access to the GNSS Signal Simulator and for the great support during the data acquisition. This work was supported by ETH Research Grant ETH-43 14-2.

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  1. Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry, ETH Zurich, Robert-Gnehm-Weg 15, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland

    Daniel Willi & Markus Rothacher

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  1. Daniel Willi
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  2. Markus Rothacher
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Correspondence to Daniel Willi.

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Willi, D., Rothacher, M. GNSS attitude determination with non-synchronized receivers and short baselines onboard a spacecraft. GPS Solut 21, 1605–1617 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-017-0639-0

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