Attitude and Orbit Control of a Solar Sail Spacecraft for Responsive Operational Concept

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2021-6-15

Author

Polat, Halis Can

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Utilization of the propellant-free thrust capability of Solar Sail Spacecraft (SSS) is addressed. For this purpose, an elliptical orbit with a very low perigee altitude and an apogee altitude high enough to have solar sail acceleration is proposed for Earth observation mission. In the mission part, regional observation tasks are carried out that take place in very Low Earth Orbit region. The orbit maintenance and control are handled in the high altitude regions. The baseline SSS design is accomplished and presented. Orbital maintenance for station keeping and orbital maneuvers for carrying out specific missions are analyzed, and capabilities of SSS for changing orbital parameters are investigated. A constellation of observation satellites is also proposed addressing the weaknesses in rapid response of SSS to mission needs. Attitude control for smooth attitude maneuvers is also addressed. It is found that the novel quaternion-based attitude tracking control approach with time dependent attitude trajectory offers smooth, jerk-free and accurate attitude tracking.

Subject Keywords

Solar Sail, Low Earth Orbit, Attitude Control, Orbit Control, Mission Orbit Performance

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/91264

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Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

H. C. Polat, “Attitude and Orbit Control of a Solar Sail Spacecraft for Responsive Operational Concept,” Ph.D. - Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University, 2021.