Sensor scheduling on observing the general elliptic orbit satellite

To exploit the observation effectiveness of space surveillance network in a comprehensive way, the analytical sensor scheduling criterion is required. In this paper, we take the position difference between the real orbit and the predicted orbit as the satellite relative motion. Then the position covariance matrix derived from the covariance of the relative orbit elements describes the uncertainty of the predicted satellite position. Based on the assumptions of the unperturbed relative motion and planar orbit model, a criterion on observing the general elliptic orbit satellite is obtained. This criterion is expressed in terms of the factors of each observation (such as the measurement accuracy of radar or optical sensor, the observation time, the sensor-target geometry, etc.) and the corresponding satellite orbit elements. The impact of observation geometry on scheduling efficiency is analyzed based on the proposed sensor scheduling criterion in simulations.