Satellite Reorientation

Inspired by the Hubble telescope, whose changes of orientation in space are induced by external spinning gyroscopes, in this problem a satellite consists of a main cuboid body to which cylindrical rotors are connected by revolute joints. These joints constrain the motion of the rigid bodies. Thus one is faced with a problem of optimal control for a constrained dynamical system. Optimal control torques for the rotors have been calculated to guide the system from an initial to a desired final orientation for the main body. Thereby the whole motion is required to start and end at rest and the control effort has to be minimised. The frame shows the prescribed final orientation of the system.

Sigrid Leyendecker
Sina Ober-Bloebaum
Jerrold E. Marsden
Michael Ortiz

SatelliteReorientation.avi (2.13MB)