Local observability analysis of star sensor installation errors in a SINS/CNS integration system for near-earth flight vehicles

Strapdown inertial navigation system/celestial navigation system (SINS/CNS) integrated navigation is a fully autonomous and high precision method, which has been widely used to improve the hitting accuracy and quick reaction capability of near-Earth flight vehicles. The installation errors between SINS and star sensors have been one of the main factors that restrict the actual accuracy of SINS/CNS. In this paper, an integration algorithm based on the star vector observations is derived considering the star sensor installation error. Then, the star sensor installation error is accurately estimated based on Kalman Filtering (KF). Meanwhile, a local observability analysis is performed on the rank of observability matrix obtained via linearization observation equation, and the observable conditions are presented and validated. The number of star vectors should be greater than or equal to 2, and the times of posture adjustment also should be greater than or equal to 2. Simulations indicate that the star sensor installation error could be readily observable based on the maneuvering condition; moreover, the attitude errors of SINS are less than 7 arc-seconds. This analysis method and conclusion are useful in the ballistic trajectory design of near-Earth flight vehicles.