Optimization method for star tracker orientation in the sun-pointing mode

【摘要】 The star tracker, an optical attitude sensor with high accuracy, is widely used in satellites for attitude determination and control. However, it is susceptible to the sunlight and the earthlight for application on satellites in the sun-synchronous orbit. Therefore, the suppression of the sunlight and the earthlight is important for the star tracker. In this Letter, a vector model is proposed to describe the relationship among the Sun, the Earth, and the satellite body, and, based on the equations of the boundary curves, the vector areas free from the sunlight and the earthlight in the body coordinate system of the satellite are derived. Meanwhile, the installation orientation of the star tracker and the corresponding exclusion angle of the earthlight are optimized. The simulation results indicate that the optimization method for the installation orientation and the exclusion angle of the star tracker is accurate and effective.更多还原

【Abstract】 The star tracker, an optical attitude sensor with high accuracy, is widely used in satellites for attitude determination and control. However, it is susceptible to the sunlight and the earthlight for application on satellites in the sun-synchronous orbit. Therefore, the suppression of the sunlight and the earthlight is important for the star tracker. In this Letter, a vector model is proposed to describe the relationship among the Sun, the Earth, and the satellite body, and, based on the equations of the boundary curves, the vector areas free from the sunlight and the earthlight in the body coordinate system of the satellite are derived. Meanwhile, the installation orientation of the star tracker and the corresponding exclusion angle of the earthlight are optimized. The simulation results indicate that the optimization method for the installation orientation and the exclusion angle of the star tracker is accurate and effective.更多还原