Attitude control of flexible spacecraft

Abstract

During the last decades, large deployable structures are starting to be seen as a plausible configuration to multiple space missions, such as solar sailing, LEO (Low Earth Orbit) deorbiting missions or solar power generation. The potential of this kind of structures lays in their high area-to-mass ratio and their low launch volume, which decreases the overall cost of the mission. Technological advances in key areas, such as thin film solar cells or new deployment methods, as well as the miniaturization of satellites and their components, have considerably increased the usefulness of this design. The research presented in this document aims to contribute to these technological developments, helping to unfold the whole potential of this structural solution. This research comprises the MSc thesis of the author, in partial fulfillment of the MSc in Aerospace Engineering by the Technical University of Delft. The research was conducted during an internship at the department of Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) Systems, Institute of Space Systems, German Aerospace Center (DLR). The research focuses in the study of the behavior of large thin flexible structures (LTFSs) in space from the perspective of the attitude determination and control system (ADCS). This work was performed in close relation to the DLRs mission GoSolAR (Gossamer Solar Array), which targets the technical developments that are necessary to unfold large flexible photovoltaic arrays in space.