FLIGHT DYNAMICS OPERATIONS FOR THE IBEX MISSION: THE FIRST SIX MONTHS

As of August 1 2009, the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) has completed its minimum six-month mission. This paper gives details of the flight dynamics operations for this first six months. The authors describe the specifics of how orbit determination is performed for this 7.5-day period cislunar trajectory with a 0.9 eccentricity. The methods used to calculate the orbit covariance, including predicted maneuvers, are described. The techniques used to handle the high eccentricity orbit are also described.