Universal Angles-Only Cislunar Initial Orbit Determination Using Sparse Grid Collocation

Abstract Initial orbit determination is highly enabling for operational awareness and safety in space. Reliable orbit determination in non-Keplerian systems, such as multi-body orbital mechanics, is challenging due to chaotic and unpredictable motion of these systems over long time scales. Typical approaches to non-Keplerian orbit determination use explicit integration with numerical shooting methods to propagate candidate trajectories. These methods often break down for measurement gaps on the order of days or even hours. This work presents a novel algorithm for non-Keplerian orbit determination using sparse grid collocation methods. The approach provides many benefits, including a large region of convergence without a close initial guess, as well as increased stability and performance over long observing time scales. A further advancement is made for estimating periodic orbits, in which a repeating orbit and its natural period are determined simultaneously from angles-only measurements. Orbit determination using collocation may significantly reduce sensor tasking requirements and enhance capabilities in complex orbital environments such as cislunar space.