Sensor Configuration Trade Study for Navigation in near Rectilinear Halo Orbits

Deep Space Gateway is a NASA program planned to support deep space human exploration and prove new technologies needed to achieve it. One Gateway requirement is the ability to operate in the absence of communications with the Deep Space Network (DSN) for a period of at least three weeks. In this paper, three types of onboard sensors (a camera for optical navigation, a GPS receiver, and X-ray navigation) are considered to enhance its autonomy and reduce the reliance on DSN. A trade study is conducted to explore alternatives on how to achieve autonomy and how to reduce DSN dependency while satisfying navigation performance requirements. Using linear covariance analysis, error budgets, and sensitivity analysis, the performance of navigation systems using combinations of DSN with the aforementioned onboard sensors is shown.