A Computer Model for Evaluation of Launch Vehicle and Target Tracking Error Assignments for Direct Ascent, Deep Space ASAT (Anti-Satellite) Systems

An unclassified computer model was developed for first order evaluation of deep space Anti-satellite (ASAT) targeting error assignments. Two independent error sources are modeled. With deep space tracking accuracies on the order of kilometers, there is uncertainty in the exact target position. Errors introduced by the launch vehicle guidance system result in uncertainty in the exact position of the ASAT itself. Once the target is acquired by the ASAT sensor subsystem, the maneuver subsystem must then have the capability to make the necessary trajectory corrections to percent a miss. The model assumes a direct ascent vehicle for which the user selects a trajectory by choosing the burnout and intercept position vectors, and a time of flight between them. Monte Carlo simulation is used to generate errors in burnout position and velocity, and intercept position from trivariate normal distributions scaled to user input standard deviations. This is repeated for 500 iterations, from which a mean miss distance and delta V required for trajectory correction an be determined, and used for further analysis.