The navigation and communication systems for the Automated Transfer Vehicle

This paper presents the navigation and communication system of the ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle). The ATV is a project of ESA, intended to re-supply and re-boost the International Space Station (ISS). What makes this project so special is that for the first time a spacecraft will initiate and commence a docking maneuver in fully autonomous mode, only relying upon on-board calculations, derived from absolute/relative GPS data and information from an optical rendezvous system for the final docking sequence. Because of ISS crew safety their are exceptional requirements, constraints and design drivers for the navigation and the communication subsystem of the ATV.