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Virginia Tech

Spacecraft Attitude Tracking Control

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The problem of reorienting a spacecraft to acquire a moving target is investigated. The spacecraft is modeled as a rigid body with N axisymmetric wheels controlled by axial torques, and the kinematics are represented by Modified Rodriques Parameters. The trajectory, denoted the reference trajectory, is one generated by a virtual spacecraft that is identical to the actual spacecraft. The open-loop reference attitude, angular velocity, and angular acceleration tracking commands are constructed so that the solar panel vector is perpendicular to the sun vector during the tracking maneuver. We develop a nonlinear feedback tracking control law, derived from Lyapunov stability and control theory, to provide the control torques for target tracking. The controller makes the body frame asymptotically track the reference motion when there are initial errors in the attitude and angular velocity. A spacecraft model, based on the X-ray Timing Explorer spacecraft, is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Lyapunov controller in tracking a given target.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
1999

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Long, Matthew Robert
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Hall, Christopher D.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Lutze, Frederick H. Jr.
  • Anderson, Mark R.

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-063099-162244
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/33843

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Long, Matthew Robert. Spacecraft Attitude Tracking Control. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33843