Satellite Attitude Determination Using Absorbed Heat Fluxes

In this paper, a method is introduced for determination of satellite attitude using heat fluxes absorbed by the satellite. Heat fluxes are measured using heat-flux measurement sensors. The heat flux equation then is solved inversely to determine satellite attitude. Advantages of this method in comparison to the other attitude determination methods are its employment of only one measurement system rather than a combination of different attitude sensors, ease of implementation, negligible power consumption, low mass budget, and no need for calibration by other devices. This method is evaluated by simulating three test cases of satellites in orbit. Results show that the present method works very well in all cases. Satellite attitude can be determined accurately during the sunlight part of the orbit and with error in the shadowed part of the orbit. It was also observed that the accuracy of the present method strongly depends on the resolution of the temperature sensors. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.