Cislunar State and Uncertainty Propagation via the Modified Generalized Equinoctial Orbital Elements

TL;DR

This paper introduces a high-fidelity propagation method using Modified Generalized Equinoctial Orbital Elements to better model spacecraft uncertainty in the complex cislunar environment, addressing limitations of traditional Gaussian-based approaches.

Contribution

It applies and evaluates the Modified Generalized Equinoctial Orbital Elements for cislunar navigation, demonstrating improved uncertainty modeling over conventional methods.

Findings

Enhanced Gaussian behavior preservation in cislunar space

Improved uncertainty propagation accuracy

Effective evaluation using Henze-Zirkler test

Abstract

The complex cislunar dynamical environment poses challenges for spacecraft navigation and Space Domain Awareness (SDA) operations, where the knowledge of current and future spacecraft states is essential. Conventional Gaussian-based approaches for SDA degrade under the nonlinearities that manifest in this regime. To accurately model the underlying dynamics and characterize uncertainty, this work explores the Modified Generalized Equinoctial Orbital Elements under high-fidelity propagation for cislunar applications. The Henze-Zirkler test for multivariate normality is leveraged to evaluate uncertainty evolution across a range of orbits, demonstrating improved preservation of Gaussian behavior in cislunar space.