ESTIMATING SPACECRAFT ATTITUDE BASED ON IN-ORBIT SENSOR MEASUREMENTS

摘要

Since the introduction of the CubeSat standard by California Polytechnic State University and Standford University in 1999 (1) the interest in picosatellites has increased exponentially. With the standardized satellite design rules, space has become accessible for low cost satellite missions. CubeSats are generally made with commercial off-the-shelf components to ensure low cost satellites, and because of the standardized CubeSat form-factor, launching of a satellite can be done in the form of piggy-back rides, with the satellite hitching a lift on launch vehicles carrying large commercial satellites. Cheap satellite missions are often linked to university projects, where universities have utilized CubeSats for research and space experiments since 2003 (2), as the low cost and short development time is ideal for university students to participate in the satellite development and operations. However, in recent years commercial and government launched CubeSats are becoming more frequent, and with more advandced CubeSats, the tendency is for CubeSats to be used for commercial operations instead of only research missions.