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Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory Mission (GRAIL) Orbit DeterminationLaunched on 10 September 2011 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, the twin-spacecraft Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) has the primary mission objective of generating a lunar gravity map with an unprecedented resolution via the Ka-band Lunar Gravity Ranging System (LGRS). After successfully executing nearly 30 maneuvers on their six-month journey, Ebb and Flow (aka GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B) established the most stringent planetary formation orbit on 1 March 2012 of approximately 30 km x 90 km in orbit size. This paper describes the orbit determination (OD) filter configurations, analyses, and results during the Trans-Lunar Cruise, Orbit Period Reduction, and Transition to Science Formation phases. The maneuver reconstruction strategies and their performance will also be discussed, as well as the navigation requirements, major dynamic models, and navigation challenges. GRAIL is the first mission to generate a full high-resolution gravity field of the only natural satellite of the Earth. It not only enables scientists to understand the detailed structure of the Moon but also further extends their knowledge of the evolutionary histories of the rocky inner planets. Robust and successful navigation was the key to making this a reality.
Document ID
20150004577
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
You, Tung-Han
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Antreasian, Peter
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Broschart, Stephen
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Criddle, Kevin
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Higa, Earl
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Jefferson, David
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Lau, Eunice
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Mohan, Swati
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Ryne, Mark
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Keck, Mason
(Boston Univ. Boston, MA, United States)
Date Acquired
April 8, 2015
Publication Date
October 29, 2012
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics
Location: Pasadena, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: October 29, 2012
End Date: November 2, 2012
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Orbit Period Reduction (OPR)
navigation
Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)
Transition to Science Formation (TSF)
formation flying
Trans-Lunar Cruise (TPC)
Ebb
orbit determination
flow

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