Rapid attitude stabilization of ultra-low orbit satellites using movable masses and reaction wheels

Abstract

This paper proposes a combination of movable masses and reaction wheels for the attitude control of ultra-low-orbit satellites. During the attitude control of ultra-low-orbit satellites, the satellite’s attitude is significantly influenced by the aerodynamic torque. Therefore, this paper proposes a combined control method using movable masses and reaction wheels. By adjusting the position of the movable masses to modify the relative distance between the center of mass (CM) and the center of pressure (CP), the aerodynamic torque is effectively reduced. Additionally, a finite-time terminal sliding mode extended state observer (TSMESO) is incorporated to estimate the reduced aerodynamic torque. Then, a finite-time non-singular terminal sliding mode control (NTSMC) method is introduced to achieve rapid attitude stabilization. Simulations demonstrate that under the proposed control system, the aerodynamic torque acting on the ultra-low-orbit spacecraft can be significantly reduced in a short time, and the response and high precision attitude stability can be effectively achieved.