GPS-Based Relative Navigation for Laser Crosslink Alignment in the VISION CubeSat Mission
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: As the demand for high-speed space-borne data transmission grows, CubeSat-based Free-Space Optical Communication (FSOC) offers a viable solution for achieving a Gbps-speed optical intersatellite link on low-cost platforms. The Very-High-Speed Intersatellite Optical Link System Using an Infrared Optical Terminal and Nanosatellite (VISION) mission aims to establish these high-speed laser crosslinks, which require a precise pointing and relative positioning system at relative distances up to 1000 km. A real-time relative navigation system was developed based on dual-frequency GPS pseudorange and carrier-phase measurements, incorporating an adaptive Kalman filter which uses innovation-based covariance matching to dynamically adjust process noise covariance. Hardware-integrated testing with GPS signal generators and onboard receivers validated its performance under realistic conditions, consistently achieving sub-meter positioning accuracy across baselines up to 1000 km. An integrated orbit–attitude simulation further evaluated the feasibility of the Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking (PAT) system by combining real-time relative navigation outputs with an attitude control system. Simulation results showed that the PAT system maintained a total pointing error of 274.3 μrad, sufficient to sustain stable high-speed optical links. This study demonstrates that the VISION relative navigation and pointing systems, integrated within the PAT framework, enable precise real-time optical intersatellite communication using CubeSats.
Source: Aerospace
Authors: Yeji Kim, Pureum Kim, Han-Gyeol Ryu, Youngho Eun, Sang-Young Park
Institution: Yonsei University
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
Funder: Agency for Defense Development
Award: G1211546875
OpenAlex ID: W4415283483