Localization of hopping rover using round-trip propagation delay with multiple motion models

Abstract

A method to localize a space rover on a planetary body using round-trip propagation delay between the rover and its mother spacecraft has previously been proposed. The approach can provide localization with meter-order accuracy. However, the method is based on the assumption that the rover is stationary on the surface of the asteroid during the localization. In this study, this method is expanded for application to the rover's hopping motion. The proposed method is based on the use of the extended Kalman filter (EKF). Multiple motions of the rover are modeled for the time-update steps in the EKF. The localization accuracy is demonstrated through numerical simulations that assume a hopping rover on a small planetary body with the size of the asteroid Itokawa.