Simulation of an Autonomous Navigation Method for Determining the Orbit and Orientation of Spacecraft from Virtual Measurements of Stellar Zenith Distances

A description of a new method of autonomous navigation for determining the orbits and orientation of artificial Earth satellites is presented. The method is based on the sighting of selected stars by optoelectronic devices, from which the virtual zenith angles of the stars are calculated. We consider various orbits to which these measurements are applied, as well as solutions to the problems of navigation and orientation of artificial Earth satellites for navigation satellites of the GLONASS system. The possibility of synchronization of spacecraft time scales based on the reception of pulsar signals is described.