MEASURING ARRANGEMENT AND CONTROL SYSTEM FOR THE POSITION CONTROL OF A THREE-AXIS-STABILIZED SATELLITE AND RELATED MEASURING AND CONTROL PROCEDURES

摘要

A three-axis stabilized, earth-oriented satellite has an attitude control system with regulators, actuators, an earth sensor that carries out measurements along two axes and a sun-sensor arrangement that also carries out measurements along two axes. The field of view of the sun-sensor arrangement covers the round angle on a plane of the satellite-fixed coordinate system. Only the sun-sensor arrangement and the earth sensor act as measurement transducers. A sun and earth acquisition process for such a satellite has the following steps: seeking the sun; setting the sun vector in a first direction of reference; setting the speed of rotation of the satellite around the sun vector at a constant value; setting the sun vector in a second direction of reference, so that by rotating the satellite around the latter the optical axis of the earth sensor sweeps over the earth; and picking up the earth. Special regulating rules are disclosed.