Session
Technical Session IV: Power/Attitude Control
Abstract
The strength and orientation of the Earth's magnetic field varies as a function of the location of the observations, which means that the magnetic field measurements contains position information. Many artificial satellites carry a magnetometer on-board. The local magnetic field measurements could be used to provide navigation information. Such a navigation method has the advantage of requiring only data from low cost on-board instruments and has applications in low budget operation of satellite systems. Furthermore if processing can be performed on-board, this method leads to the possibility of fully autonomous long term navigation. In many systems magnetic navigation could be an effective back-up. To study the feasibility and potential performance of spacecraft magnetic navigation, the concept was investigated using two possible approaches. In a first configuration the magnetic field orientation is assumed to be complemented by measurements of the Nadir direction provided by an Earth horizon sensor on board; the two vectors form the basis of a "space sextant." In the second configuration magnetic field magnitude is the sole source of external information.
Autonomous Magnetic Navigation for Earth Orbiting Spacecraft
The strength and orientation of the Earth's magnetic field varies as a function of the location of the observations, which means that the magnetic field measurements contains position information. Many artificial satellites carry a magnetometer on-board. The local magnetic field measurements could be used to provide navigation information. Such a navigation method has the advantage of requiring only data from low cost on-board instruments and has applications in low budget operation of satellite systems. Furthermore if processing can be performed on-board, this method leads to the possibility of fully autonomous long term navigation. In many systems magnetic navigation could be an effective back-up. To study the feasibility and potential performance of spacecraft magnetic navigation, the concept was investigated using two possible approaches. In a first configuration the magnetic field orientation is assumed to be complemented by measurements of the Nadir direction provided by an Earth horizon sensor on board; the two vectors form the basis of a "space sextant." In the second configuration magnetic field magnitude is the sole source of external information.
