TY - GEN

T1 - Performance Evaluation of Quantum Accelerometers for Space Navigation

AU - Hosseiniarani, Alireza

AU - Sreekantaiah, Arpetha C.

AU - Tennstedt, Benjamin

AU - He, Xingchi

AU - Hugentobler, Urs

AU - Schon, Steffen

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 IEEE.

PY - 2024/10/22

Y1 - 2024/10/22

N2 - Inertial navigation is an essential technology for space applications due to its autonomy from external signals and references. In space, inertial navigation systems utilize accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure changes in velocity and orientation, enabling a spacecraft to determine its trajectory independently, assuming the gravitational accelerations are well known. While conventional accelerometers onboard space missions often suffer from a large drift in the frequency range below 10-3 Hz, quantum accelerometers can provide highly stable and drift-free measurements of non-gravitational acceleration and consequently improve the spacecraft orbits. This work evaluates the performance of a 3-axis quantum accelerometer for space navigation. In this paper, we analyze the performance of such sensors onboard a spacecraft in a parking orbit around Earth in two scenarios of maintaining a nadir-looking orientation and having an inertially fixed spacecraft. To achieve this goal, we simulate a spacecraft in the low Earth orbit using gravitational and non-gravitational accelerations, and we develop an in-orbit performance model for Mach- Zehnder-type quantum accelerometers capable of calculating the detection noise, quantum projection noise, laser frequency noise, wavefront aberration bias, and contrast loss, together with external effects such as the impact of rotation, and gravity gradient for each individual measurement. Using this modeling and based on the propagated orbit, we simulate the measurements of a 3-axis quantum accelerometer along the orbit in two different scenarios: first, we assume the spacecraft to maintain a nadir-pointing orientation, and then we consider another scenario in which the spacecraft is assumed to be inertially- fixed. The results demonstrate that the nadir-pointing orientation introduces more noise, particularly in the along-track and radial directions, due to uncompensated rotation. However, in both the nadir-pointing and inertially fixed scenarios, quantum sensors still produce white noise, consistent with their drift-free measurement capabilities. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the critical role of sensor placement within the spacecraft. Positioning the quantum accelerometer along the main axis of rotation is optimal, as it reduces the impact of centrifugal forces and improves measurement accuracy. This is especially important for spacecraft in nadir-pointing orientations or during maneuvers. This research is the simulation and implementation of a low-Earth orbit, undertaken as a proof-of-concept. In the future, we implement this modeling for a trajectory from Earth to the Moon. We discuss the challenges, limitations, and potential solutions.

AB - Inertial navigation is an essential technology for space applications due to its autonomy from external signals and references. In space, inertial navigation systems utilize accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure changes in velocity and orientation, enabling a spacecraft to determine its trajectory independently, assuming the gravitational accelerations are well known. While conventional accelerometers onboard space missions often suffer from a large drift in the frequency range below 10-3 Hz, quantum accelerometers can provide highly stable and drift-free measurements of non-gravitational acceleration and consequently improve the spacecraft orbits. This work evaluates the performance of a 3-axis quantum accelerometer for space navigation. In this paper, we analyze the performance of such sensors onboard a spacecraft in a parking orbit around Earth in two scenarios of maintaining a nadir-looking orientation and having an inertially fixed spacecraft. To achieve this goal, we simulate a spacecraft in the low Earth orbit using gravitational and non-gravitational accelerations, and we develop an in-orbit performance model for Mach- Zehnder-type quantum accelerometers capable of calculating the detection noise, quantum projection noise, laser frequency noise, wavefront aberration bias, and contrast loss, together with external effects such as the impact of rotation, and gravity gradient for each individual measurement. Using this modeling and based on the propagated orbit, we simulate the measurements of a 3-axis quantum accelerometer along the orbit in two different scenarios: first, we assume the spacecraft to maintain a nadir-pointing orientation, and then we consider another scenario in which the spacecraft is assumed to be inertially- fixed. The results demonstrate that the nadir-pointing orientation introduces more noise, particularly in the along-track and radial directions, due to uncompensated rotation. However, in both the nadir-pointing and inertially fixed scenarios, quantum sensors still produce white noise, consistent with their drift-free measurement capabilities. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the critical role of sensor placement within the spacecraft. Positioning the quantum accelerometer along the main axis of rotation is optimal, as it reduces the impact of centrifugal forces and improves measurement accuracy. This is especially important for spacecraft in nadir-pointing orientations or during maneuvers. This research is the simulation and implementation of a low-Earth orbit, undertaken as a proof-of-concept. In the future, we implement this modeling for a trajectory from Earth to the Moon. We discuss the challenges, limitations, and potential solutions.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85218489109&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1109/ISA62769.2024.10786040

DO - 10.1109/ISA62769.2024.10786040

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:85218489109

BT - 2024 DGON Inertial Sensors and Applications, ISA 2024

A2 - Hecker, Peter

PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

T2 - 2024 International Conference on DGON Inertial Sensors and Applications, ISA 2024

Y2 - 22 October 2024 through 23 October 2024

ER -