Position and pose estimation by celestial observation for lunar rovers

At a given time the altitude and azimuth of celestial bodies measured by star sensor and other celestial body measure devices contain the information of lunar rover's position and pose. So the position and pose of lunar rovers can be determined using this kind of information. A new autonomous position and pose estimation method for lunar rovers based on celestial observation and unscented kalman filter (UKF) method was described. The principle of this method was introduced, and the rover motion models and the measurement equations of altitude and azimuth used in this autonomous celestial navigation system were presented. Because this method only uses the accuracy measurement coming from the star sensor, it has higher precision of position and pose determination. A simulation result demonstrated the validity and feasibility of this new method.