arXiv subjects

Vittorio Franzese

Publications and source records attributed to Vittorio Franzese.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Star-based Navigation in the Outer Solar System

This paper investigates an autonomous navigation method for spacecraft operating in the outer solar system, up to 250 AU from the Sun, using the parallactic shifts of nearby stars. These measurements enable estimation of the spacecraft trajectory while distant stars provide attitude information through conventional star-pattern matching. Stellar observation models are developed, accounting for delta light-time, parallax, and aberration effects. Navigation performance is assessed using two approaches: (1) a least-squares estimator using simultaneous multi-star measurements, and (2) a Kalman filter processing sequential single-star observations along deep-space trajectories. Monte Carlo simulations on trajectories representative of Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and New Horizons missions show sub-AU position accuracies at 250 AU, and velocity accuracies better than 0.00004 AU/day, under realistic spacecraft and instrumentation uncertainties. These values correspond to relative errors below 0.4% in position and velocity with respect to the reference trajectories. Although less precise than radiometric tracking, this performance can support navigation in the outer solar system without reliance on Earth. When ground-based navigation remains necessary, this approach can be employed during long cruising phases, lowering the number of ground contacts. The method additionally shows potential for future missions venturing farther from the Sun.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

Spacecraft Angular Rate Estimation via Event-Based Camera Sensing

This paper presents a method for determining spacecraft angular rates using event-based camera sensing. This is achieved by analyzing the temporal distribution of brightness events triggered by the apparent motion of stars. The location and polarity of the events are used to infer the apparent motion field of the stars, which is, in turn, employed to estimate the observer angular velocity in the camera frame. This can be converted to the spacecraft angular rates provided an attitude reference. The method is validated through numerical simulation for a synthetic dataset of event streams generated on random spacecraft pointing and rates conditions. The accuracy of the method is assessed, demonstrating its potential to complement or replace conventional rate sensors in spacecraft systems using event camera sensing.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2025

Towards Active Excitation-Based Dynamic Inertia Identification in Satellites

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of how excitation design influences the identification of the inertia properties of rigid nano- and micro-satellites. We simulate nonlinear attitude dynamics with reaction-wheel coupling, actuator limits, and external disturbances, and excite the system using eight torque profiles of varying spectral richness. Two estimators are compared, a batch Least Squares method and an Extended Kalman Filter, across three satellite configurations and time-varying inertia scenarios. Results show that excitation frequency content and estimator assumptions jointly determine estimation accuracy and robustness, offering practical guidance for in-orbit adaptive inertia identification by outlining the conditions under which each method performs best. The code is provided as open-source .

cs.RO↗

arXiv2021

Preliminary mission profile of Hera's Milani CubeSat

CubeSats offer a flexible and low-cost option to increase the scientific and technological return of small-body exploration missions. ESA's Hera mission, the European component of the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) international collaboration, plans on deploying two CubeSats in the proximity of binary system 65803 Didymos, after arrival in 2027. In this work, we discuss the feasibility and preliminary mission profile of Hera's Milani CubeSat. The CubeSat mission is designed to achieve both scientific and technological objectives. We identify the design challenges and discuss design criteria to find suitable solutions in terms of mission analysis, operational trajectories, and Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC) design. We present initial trajectories and GNC baseline, as a result of trade-off analyses. We assess the feasibility of the Milani CubeSat mission and provide a preliminary solution to cover the operational mission profile of Milani in the close-proximity of Didymos system.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2019

Line-of-Sight Deep-Space Autonomous Navigation

Autonomous navigation is one of the main enabling technologies for future space missions. While conventional spacecraft are navigated through ground stations, their employment for deep-space CubeSats yields costs comparable to those of the platform. This paper introduces an extended Kalman filter formulation for spacecraft navigation exploiting the line-of-sight observations of visible Solar System objects to infer the spacecraft state. The line-of-sight error budget builds upon typical performances of deep-space CubeSats and includes uncertainties deriving from the platform attitude, the image processing, and the performances of the sensors. The errors due to the low-thrust propagation and light-time delays to the navigation beacons are also taken into account. Preliminary results show the feasibility of the deep-space autonomous navigation exploiting the line-of-sight directions to visible beacons with a 3-sigma accuracy of 1000km for the position components and 2 m/s for the velocity components.

eess.SY↗