A mission planning method for sunlight avoidance period of GEO optical remote sensing satellite

Abstract

GEO optical remote sensing satellites need to avoid sunlight entering the camera optical system at midnight hours. For the existing evasion methods such as thermal doors and posture planning, nearly 15% of the satellite in-orbit life cannot be reasonably utilized due to the passive evasion methods. To solve this problem, a method based on mission planning is proposed. When evasion begins, the satellite changes the orbital coordinate system into the inertial coordinate system and maintains the safe attitude in inertial space. If space missions are planned such as camera calibrations and celestial bodies observations, the algorithm can determine the compliance of the missions with attitude constraints and energy constraints, and the eligible missions are executed. When evasion ends, the satellite maneuvers toward the Earth proceeding with Earth observation missions. The mathematical simulation indicates the method is feasible, ensuring the safety of the optical camera and executing the space missions meanwhile. The mission planning method extends relatively the service life of the satellite and makes the expansion of the space observation field possible.