Differential Algebra Space Toolbox for Nonlinear Uncertainty Propagation in Space Dynamics

This paper is aimed at presenting a new tool developed by Dinamica, with the support of ESA, for the efficient nonlinear propagation of uncertainties in space dynamics. The newly implemented software is based on Differential Algebra, which provides a method to easily extend the existing linearization techniques and allows the implementation of efficient arbitrary order methods. These theoretical concepts represent the building blocks over which the Differential Algebra Space Toolbox is implemented. The application areas for the tool are plenty. To illustrate the power of the method in general and to give the user a better understanding of the various features, several different examples in the field of astrodynamics and space engineering are presented.