Application of BeiDou navigation satellite system on attitude determination for Chinese space station

Abstract

BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) offers service to space-based users. The future Chinese Manned Space Station (CSS) orbits inside the service area of the future global BDS, and can utilize BDS to perform its attitude determination. This contribution first analyzes the constellation situation of the global BDS during the operation phase of the CSS. The results show that the global BDS can provide positioning and attitude determination service to the CSS. Second, the principles of the carrier phase based attitude determination technique are presented and the characteristics of the CSS are discussed, based on which the technical conditions required for BDS-based attitude determination for the CSS are analyzed. An attitude determination scheme which requires three antennas to be installed on the three CSS’ component cabins respectively is proposed. Next, simulations and analysis on the roll, pitch and yaw angle measurement errors when the CSS is orbiting are conducted. The results indicate the feasibility of applying BDS on the attitude determination for the CSS, and the root mean square errors of the measured attitude angles can reach about 0.05° for roll and pitch, and 0.04° for yaw respectively, provided the condition of two linearly independent 10 m level baselines formed by three BDS receiving antennas.