PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Allahvirdi-Zadeh, Amir
AU  - El-Mowafy, Ahmed
TI  - Array-Aided Precise Orbit and Attitude Determination of CubeSats using GNSS
AID  - 10.33012/navi.651
DP  - 2024 Sep 21
TA  - NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation
PG  - navi.651
VI  - 71
IP  - 3
4099  - https://navi.ion.org/content/71/3/navi.651.short
4100  - https://navi.ion.org/content/71/3/navi.651.full
SO  - NAVIGATION2024 Sep 21; 71
AB  - CubeSats hold promise for various applications, but their viability in demanding missions such as future low Earth orbiting position, navigation, and timing (LEO-PNT) systems hinges on higher orbital accuracy and reliable attitude information. To address these challenges, we present an array-aided combined precise orbit and attitude determination model with an optimal solution. In the estimation process, multi- and affine-constrained models are used to precisely determine the attitude, and then, highly precise observations for an antenna array are reconstructed based on fixed ambiguities and a decorrelation step. Validations confirm the significance of integer ambiguities in the model, highlighting the cost-effectiveness of this model compared with star trackers for attitude determination. The reconstructed observations outperform the original observations, leading to improved orbital components, with the three-dimensional root mean square (RMS) equal to 4.1 cm. The observation residuals are smoother, with an RMS of 6 mm, half of that obtained via a single antenna. The developed models offer great potential for CubeSats, advancing their orbit and attitude determination capabilities.