SOLAR ARRAY CONTROLLER FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control and optimize the thrust efficiency by transmitting a table of the thruster atittude variable with a lapse of time with a relative solar position calender on the orbit profile, to the on board computer from a ground station and controlling the same. SOLUTION: An electric propulsion thruster group (EPS) 5 is mounted in a state that its thrust vector is vertical to a rotary shaft of a solar array. An attitude control module 10 receives the present attitude data from a plurality of inertia reference sensors 11, and compares the same with the mission profile specified by a ground station. The attitude is adjusted by a series of ajusters capable of including a chemical thruster, an EPS thruster 5 and a momentum wheel. The attitude control module 10 calculates the attitude adjustment to execute the adjustment by operating a proper mechanism. Whereby the direction of the thrust vector is optimized, the orbit is transferred with high efficiency, and the thrust attitude can be continuously adjusted.