SEXTANT X-Ray Pulsar Navigation Demonstration: Additional On-Orbit Results

Winternitz, Luke M. B.; Mitchell, Jason W.; Hassouneh, Munther A.; Price, Samuel R.; Semper, Sean R.; Yu, Wayne H.; Ray, Paul S.; Wolff, Michael T.; Kerr, Matthew; Wood, Kent S.; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Gendreau, Keith C.; Guillemot, Lucas; Cognard, Ismael; Demorest, Paul; Stappers, Ben; Lyne, Andrew

NASA NTRS · 20180003358

SEXTANT X-Ray Pulsar Navigation Demonstration: Additional On-Orbit Results

Winternitz, Luke M. B.·Mitchell, Jason W.·Hassouneh, Munther A.·Price, Samuel R.·Semper, Sean R.·Yu, Wayne H.·Ray, Paul S.·Wolff, Michael T.·Kerr, Matthew·Wood, Kent S.·Arzoumanian, Zaven·Gendreau, Keith C.·Guillemot, Lucas·Cognard, Ismael·Demorest, Paul·Stappers, Ben·Lyne, Andrew

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Abstract

The Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT) is a technology demonstration enhancement to the Neutron-star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission, a NASA Astrophysics Explorer Mission of Opportunity to the International Space Station, launched in June of 2017. In late 2017, SEXTANT successfully completed a first demonstration of in-space and autonomous X-ray pulsar navigation (XNAV). This form of navigation relies on processing faint signals from millisecond pulsars-rapidly rotating neutron stars that appear to pulsate in the X-ray band-and could potentially provide a GPS-like navigation capability applicable throughout the solar-system and beyond. In this work, we briefly review prior SEXTANT results and then present new results focusing on: making use of the high- flux but rotationally unstable Crab pulsar, and using XNAV to estimate position, velocity, and time in the presence of an imperfect local clock.

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BibTeX RIS

Winternitz, Luke M. B., Mitchell, Jason W., Hassouneh, Munther A., Price, Samuel R., Semper, Sean R., Yu, Wayne H., Ray, Paul S., Wolff, Michael T., Kerr, Matthew, Wood, Kent S., Arzoumanian, Zaven, Gendreau, Keith C., Guillemot, Lucas, Cognard, Ismael, Demorest, Paul, Stappers, Ben, Lyne, Andrew. 2018-05-28. SEXTANT X-Ray Pulsar Navigation Demonstration: Additional On-Orbit Results. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20180003358

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