METHOD OF SPACECRAFT AXES ORIENTATION IN SOLAR ORBITAL COORDINATE SYSTEM Russian patent published in 2011 - IPC B64G1/36 

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to control over spacecraft motion about center of mass with the help of instrument that determined direction to Sun. In orienting spacecraft in solar-orbital coordinate system (SOCS), necessary conditions are created for most efficient use of solar power by solar batteries arrange on spacecraft. Proposed method consists in entering spacecraft orbit parameters into onboard computer. Search angular speed is set to spacecraft to allow said instrument to capture the Sun by instrument vision field. Then, component of angular speed about coupled axis X_sc is zeroed to keep the Sun in the field of vision of said instrument. Obtained zero magnitude is maintained and spacecraft is turned about two other axes to align single vector of direction to the Sun with said coupled axis Y_{sc .} At this orientation of spacecraft, it performs angular motion about coupled axis Z_sc within the angle of ±10° to complete spacecraft orientation in SOCS/.

EFFECT: automatic computation of mismatch angles from measurement of solely direction to Sun.

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