Tripulse: A system for determining orientation and attitude of a satellite borne active phased array

Tripulse is a novel system that is designed to accurately estimate the orientation of a satellite borne phased array relative to one or more Earth stations. It has conceptual similarities to amplitude comparison monopulse systems used in tracking radars. Tripulse differs from monopulse in that it is applicable primarily to transmitting active phased arrays aboard communication satellites. The signaling structure consists of a minimum of three separate time multiplexed coherent pulses. A statistical performance analysis and a description of the methodology for converting multiple ground station orientation data to attitude estimates are presented.