An Algebraic Approach for the Motion Estimation of a Non-Cooperative Space Deris Target

Abstract

A large amount of space debris around the Earth poses a signi_cant threat to future near-Earth space activities. One of the definitive solutions to this problem is the removal of space debris from orbit. A key technology for the active removal of space debris is to accurately estimate the state of motion of the target. Many strategies proposed until now have mostly adopted ltering methods utilizing differential equations of motion. Although these methods can estimate the target motion when an appropriate initial guess and reference models are given, assuming that the reference models are known would be unrealistic in some cases. Besides, such methods cannot conduct precise estimation when the target changes motion, as in the case when an unexpected external torque is applied to the target inadvertently. To cope with these problems, we propose an algebraic approach for non-cooperative target motion estimation. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method can estimate the state of motion of the target precisely and that the method is robust to any target motion alteration that may occur, con_rming that the proposed method provides a viable and robust strategy for the capture of non-cooperative space debris targets. Show more