Design and validation of a trajectory estimation system for the Hayabusa sample return capsule

• The Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft will return to Earth in summer, 2010, carrying samples from asteroid Itokawa. Because the sample return capsule will reenter the atmosphere at night, the capsule and surrounding air will appear as a bright light (i.e., "fireball") during the portion of the trajectory with high aerodynamic heating. Kyushu University, in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is developing a ground-based optical sensor system to observe the reentry and estimate the vehicle's trajectory. This paper describes the design and validation currently underway for the proposed system, in preparation for operations in mid-2010. An Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is used to estimate the capsule's position and velocity, as well as a scale factor on the atmospheric density. Simulations of the EKF show that the capsule's state at the end of the visible portion of the trajectory (i.e., at approximately 25 km altitude) can be estimated with a 1-s uncertainty of 60 m in position and 8 m/s in velocity.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Farkostteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Vehicle Engineering (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Ground based

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Sample return capsule

Scale Factor

Trajectory estimation

Atmospheric density

Earth (planet)

Estimation

Mechanics

Space flight

Space research

Spacecraft

Uncertainty analysis

Trajectories

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