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Uncertainty Quantification for Space Situational Awareness and Traffic Management.
Samuel Hilton1, Federico Cairola2, Alessandro Gardi3
1School of Engineering, Bundoora, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia. sam.hilton@rmit.edu.au.
This study introduces a sensor-based method for on-orbit position uncertainty, crucial for space situational awareness and collision avoidance of resident space objects (RSO). It quantifies RSO tracking errors to enhance space traffic management.
Area of Science:
- Space Surveillance and Situational Awareness
- Astrodynamics and Orbital Mechanics
- Data Fusion and Uncertainty Quantification
Background:
- Accurate on-orbit position estimation is critical for space situational awareness (SSA) and collision avoidance.
- Current methods for quantifying position uncertainty may not fully capture the complexities of sensor data and RSO dynamics.
- Evolving SSA architectures demand robust methods for representing and managing space object positional uncertainties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sensor-orientated approach for generating and quantifying on-orbit position uncertainty for Resident Space Objects (RSO).
- To establish a mathematical framework supporting separation assurance and collision avoidance.
- To represent navigation and tracking errors as uncertainty volumes, detailing size, shape, and orientation.
Main Methods:
- Development of a mathematical framework utilizing least squares formulation.
- Exploitation of real-time navigation measurements and tracking observables.
- Generation of uncertainty volumes to characterize positional errors.
Main Results:
- A validated methodology for on-orbit position uncertainty generation and quantification.
- Demonstration of the method's capability to support separation assurance and collision avoidance.
- Analysis of sensor performance impact on Gaussian assumptions for uncertainty representation.
Conclusions:
- The proposed sensor-orientated approach provides a sound methodology for RSO position uncertainty.
- Accurate uncertainty quantification is vital for the evolution of SSA and Space Traffic Management (STM).
- Implications for cyber-physical architectures and cognitive human-machine systems in SSA were explored.

