Automatic Balancing for a Three-Axis Spacecraft Simulator

Abstract

A ground-based spacecraft simulator is useful for experimental validation of advanced control laws. The minimization of the offset between the center of gravity and the center of rotation of the simulator is necessary for accurate simulation of a zero-gravity space environment. This study focuses on the automatic balancing of a ground-based spacecraft simulator on which moving masses required for the balancing are installed. We propose a novel automatic balancing method based on the recursive least squares approach. The proposed method is tested on a spacecraft simulator equipped with spherical air bearing. Experimental results show that accurate offset compensation and accurate space environment simulation are achieved using the proposed method.