Strategy for upper-stage pitch-over maneuver control

This work describes a control strategy for the pitch-over maneuver which aims to take the upper stage of a satellite launcher from a certain attitude and point it in the direction determined by the guidance algorithm. The strategy proposed is similar to Bank to Turn (BTT) control, which changes the flight direction by rolling and pitching motions. The total maneuver comprises four different phases: angular rate reduction, roll maneuver, pitch and yaw maneuver and maintenance of the final attitude. Each phase was planned to avoid the motion coupling and to permit the use of an optimal scheme. Digital simulation and hardware in the loop simulation (with real motion) are used to test the efficiency of this algorithm and have shown satisfactory results. (C) 2003 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.