Timing X-ray Pulsars with Application to Spacecraft Navigation

TL;DR

This paper explores using onboard X-ray pulsar timing for autonomous spacecraft navigation, aiming to improve accuracy over traditional ground-based methods by identifying suitable pulsars and analyzing their emission characteristics.

Contribution

It develops a database of X-ray pulsars' emission profiles to evaluate their suitability for autonomous navigation in deep space missions.

Findings

Identified ~60 X-ray pulsars suitable for navigation

Provided data on pulsar emission timing for navigation accuracy

Suggested potential improvements over ground-based tracking

Abstract

Usually, positions of spacecraft on interplanetary or deep space missions are determined by radar tracking from ground stations, a method by which uncertainty increases with distance from Earth. As an alternative, a spacecraft equipped with e.g. an X-ray telescope could determine its position autonomoulsy via onboard analysis of X-ray pulsar signals. In order to find out which pulsars are best suited for this approach and what accuracy can be achieved, we build up a database containing the temporal emission characteristics of the ~ 60 X-ray pulsars for which a pulsed radiation has been detected by mid 2010.