Analytical evaluation of the accuracy of spacecraft autonomous navigation according to the results of flight altitude adaptive measurement

The article presents the results of analyzing the accuracy of spacecraft autonomous navigation the orbital mission of which takes place in conditions of perturbations of space. Flight altitude is taken as a parameter to be measured. An adaptive altimeter, capable of performing the reconfiguration of its structure in the event of disturbing factors is chosen as a means of dealing with the disturbing influence. Covariance matrices of errors in determining the parameters of the spacecraft center of mass are obtained analytically. Analytical evaluation of the accuracy of the adaptive altimeter is based on the theory of analytical evaluation of navigation systems using celestial radio engineering measuring devices. Expressions used for calculating the estimates of spacecraft navigation error covariance matrix elements by measuring the altitude obtained in the process of certain investigations in the absence of perturbations are a special case of the results presented in the paper. Tasks that emerge at the stage of justification of the navigation system design, for example, the task of specifying requirements for errors of airborne altimeters, can be solved with the help of the analytical estimates obtained. Such estimates are functions of dispersions of altimeters mounted on board the spacecraft.