| CPC B64G 1/407 (2013.01) [B64G 1/283 (2013.01)] | 23 Claims |
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23. An attitude control module for providing propellant-free attitude control and momentum desaturation to a spacecraft having reaction wheels, the attitude control module comprising:
at least one solar sail comprising a reflective surface for reflecting solar photons;
at least one robotic arm coupled to the at least one solar sail, said at least one robotic arm comprising at least 4 degrees of freedom for positioning and orienting the at least one solar sail relative to the spacecraft; and
a controller operable to:
determine a momentum vector corresponding to excess momentum stored in the reaction wheels;
compute an optimal position and orientation of the at least one solar sail to generate a maximum torque subject to one or more constraints; and providing a control signal to the robotic arm to move the solar sail to the computed position and orientation;
provide a control signal to the at least one robotic arm to position and orient the at least one solar sail into the computed position and orientation to generate a torque opposing the momentum vector; and
desaturate the reaction wheels using the torque generated by the at least one solar sail.
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