Described herein are systems and methods for attitude determination using infrared Earth horizon sensors (EHSs) with Gaussian response characteristics. Attitude information is acquired by detecting Earth's infrared electromagnetic radiation and, subsequently, determining the region obscured by Earth in the sensors' fields of view to compute a nadir vector estimation in the spacecraft's body frame. The method can be applied when two sensors, each with known and distinct pointing directions, detect the horizon, which is defined as having their fields of view partially obscured by Earth. The method can be implemented compactly to provide high-accuracy attitude within small spacecraft, such as CubeSat-based satellites.
ATTITUDE DETERMINATION USING EARTH HORIZON SENSORS
2018-04-26
Patent
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
IPC: | B64G Raumfahrt , COSMONAUTICS |
Attitude determination using infrared earth horizon sensors
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