Inertial Measurements for Aero-assisted Navigation (IMAN)

IMAN is a Python tool that provides inertial sensor-based estimates of spacecraft trajectories within an atmospheric influence. It provides Kalman filterderived spacecraft state estimates based upon data collected onboard, and is shown to perform at a level comparable to the conventional methods of spacecraft navigation in terms of accuracy and at a higher level with regard to the availability of results immediately after completion of an atmospheric drag pass. A benefit of this architecture is that this technology is conducive to onboard data processing and estimation and thus can compute near realtime spacecraft state estimates making it suitable for autonomous operations and/or closed-loop guidance, navigation, and control strategies.