METHOD OF DETERMINING THREE-AXIS ORIENTATION OF SPACECRAFT Russian patent published in 2019 - IPC B64G1/32 

FIELD: astronautics.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to determination of orientation of spacecrafts (SC), mainly on low orbit with significant inclination, equipped with magnetometer (MM). MM determines vector of intensity (induction) of Earth's magnetic field (EMF) at two different moments in time. During the time interval between them, the matrix of rotation of the coordinate system associated with the spacecraft is calculated by integrating the Poisson equations for the measured angular velocities of the spacecraft. From this matrix, made MM measurements are converted from one moment in time to another. A matrix of transition from an orbital coordinate system to a bound coordinate system and then a three-axis orientation of the spacecraft are determined from a pair of vectors of EMF intensity in the coordinate system associated with the spacecraft and a pair of vectors of EMF intensity in the inertial coordinate system.

EFFECT: possibility of determining three-axis orientation of spacecraft only using an instrument of angular velocity of spacecraft and MM, which can be used in a backup algorithm (in case of failure of optical sensors).

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