GNSS-based simulation of spacecraft formation flight: A case study of ionospheric plasma remote sensing

Abstract

Future space weather missions using spacecraft formation flying can provide more robust, flexible, sustainable, and low-cost observational capability on multi-scale ionospheric plasma structures. The Virginia Tech Formation Flying Testbed (VTFFTB), a hardware-in-the-loop simulation testbed using multi-constellation, multi-frequency global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), has recently been developed to simulate closed-loop, real-time spacecraft formation flight with a group of 2 or 3 satellites at low Earth orbits (LEO). Onboard GNSS receivers are used for formation navigation as well as ionospheric plasma irregularities measurements. In a VTFFTB simulation, the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM) was integrated to simulate Equatorial plasma bubbles (EPB) and study the EPB impacts on GNSS signals tracked by LEO formation satellites. This case study demonstrates the VTFFTB application to study the ionospheric plasma impacts on GNSS-related technologies using global space weather models and facilitates development of new ionospheric remote sensing techniques.

KEYWORDS:

• GNSS
• GPS
• spacecraft formation flight
• ionospheric plasma
• hardware-in-the-loop simulation
• TIEGCM

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

YuXiang Peng obtained his PhD (May 2020) and MS (May 2017) degrees in Electrical Engineering at Virginia Tech (VT) while working at the VT Center for Space Science and Engineering Research. He received his BS degree in physics from Sun Yat-sen University in June 2014. He is now a senior research and development engineer at Qualcomm (California, USA).

Wayne A. Scales received the PhD from Cornell focusing in Space Plasma Physics. After his postdoctoral work, he joined the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech and is currently the J. Bryon Maupin Professor of Engineering and founding Director of the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research. His research interests include modeling space plasma turbulence and applications.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Air Force Office of Scientific Research [grant number 13-0658-09].