Satellite orbit determination using a batch filter based on the unscented transformation

In this paper, the non-recursive batch filter has been presented and utilized for satellite orbit determination. Using the unscented transformation, the non-recursive batch filter is developed without any traditional linearization process. For the orbit determination system, the range, azimuth, and elevation angles of the satellite measured from ground tracking stations are used for observations. For evaluation and verification of the presented batch filter's performance, the results are compared with those of the batch least squares filter for various initial errors in position and velocity, measurement sampling periods and measurement errors. For relatively small initial errors or short measurement sampling periods or small measurement errors, the accuracy of the orbit determination is similar in both the filters. Under large initial errors or long measurement sampling periods or large measurement errors, the presented non-recursive batch filter yields more robust and stable convergence than the existing batch least squares filter. The non-recursive batch filter based on the unscented transformation is effectively applicable for highly nonlinear batch estimation problems.