Optimal Magnetic Attitude Control

摘要

Magnetic torquing is attractive as means of control for small satellites. The actuation principle is to use the interaction between the earth's magnetic field and a magnetic field generated by a coil set in the satellite. This control principle is inherently time-varying, and difficult to use because control torques can only be generated perpendicular to the local geomagnetic field vector. This has been a serious obstacle for using magnetorquer based control for three-axis attitude control. Thispaper deals with three-axis stabilization of a low earth orbit satellite. The problem of controlling the spacecraft attitude using only magnetic torquing is realized in the form of a infinite horizon periodic controller.