Autonomous navigation of Low-Earth-Orbit satellites based on the optical data from the Sun,the Earth and the Moon

Autonomous navigation of a lower earth orbit satellite using the optical data from the sun,the earth and the moon is investigated.A least square algorithm is presented to estimate the epoch states of the satellite from which the orbit is propagated.Simulations based on orbital data of ‘ShiJian 5’ (a low earth orbit satellite) demonstrate that the radial navigation error fluctuates between -300 m and 200 m and the directional navigation error is lower than 0 041° during 24 hours under measurement noises of 0 1°(3σ) for the Earth,0 03°(3σ) for the Sun and 0 03°(3σ)for the Moon.