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Observability and Estimability Analysis of Geosynchronous Objects with Angles-Only Measurements

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Abstract

With easier access to space and mega-constellation plans, tracking the resident space object (RSO) population becomes a greater challenge. Efficiently obtaining the maximum possible knowledge from each RSO observation is required for improved propagation and identification. Observability and estimability have been used to mathematically define which parameters of a dynamical system can be determined with certain measurement types and to interpret how well the states are or can be estimated relative to one another. This work analyzes both observability, in a deterministic and in a stochastic sense, and estimability as measures to judge either a priori or a posteriori estimation results. The system of interest in this work is an RSO orbit with object characteristic information.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded through the Department of Defense Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

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  1. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM, 87117, USA

    Alex M. Friedman

  2. Purdue University, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA

    Carolin Frueh

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Correspondence to Alex M. Friedman.

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Friedman, A.M., Frueh, C. Observability and Estimability Analysis of Geosynchronous Objects with Angles-Only Measurements. J Astronaut Sci 68, 503–534 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40295-021-00261-4

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