On-orbit performance analysis of spinning spacecraft magnetic control laws. Application to the UPMSat-2 mission

Abstract

This paper studies the performance of a new magnetic attitude control law developed for the UPMSat-2 satellite. The UPMSat-2 control law, which is a modification of the B-dot, allows the satellite to align one axis with the normal to the orbital plane and achieve a target angular velocity, without requiring attitude determination. The study evaluates the control law’s effectiveness using the first housekeeping data received since the satellite’s launch in September 2020. To verify the control’s on-orbit performance, data from sun sensors and magnetometers, along with thermal analysis of the satellite external temperatures, are used to confirm that the satellite remains at its design attitude and angular velocity. The study concludes that the proposed control law is a simple and effective alternative for small satellite attitude control.