Abstract
We consider spinup dynamics of axial dual-spin spacecraft composed of two rigid bodies: an asymmetric platform and an axisymmetric rotor parallel to a principal axis of the platform. The system is free of external torques, and spinup of the rotor is effected by a small constant internal axial torque. The dynamics are described by four first-order differential equations. Conservation of angular momentum and the method of averaging are used to reduce the problem to a single first-order differential equation which is studied numerically. This reduction has a geometric counterpart that we use to simplify the investigation of spinup dynamics. In particular, a resonance condition due to platform asymmetry and associated with an instantaneous separatrix crossing is clearly identified using our approach.
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