The Boeing Company

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Christopher James Wasson

Gary E Lemke

Cecilia G Cantu

John Preston Charles Mills

Richard A Fowell

Timothy S Lui

Bradley Whitten Taylor

Thimothy S Lui

A control system configured to execute a safing mode sequence for a spacecraft is disclosed. The control system includes one or more star trackers that each include a field of view to capture light from a plurality of space objects surrounding the celestial body. The control system also includes one or more actuators, one or more processors in electronic communication with the one or more actuators, and a memory coupled to the one or more processors. The memory stores data into a database and program code that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the control system to determine a current attitude of the spacecraft, and re-orient the spacecraft from a current attitude into a momentum neutral attitude.

Control system for executing a safing mode sequence in a spacecraft

A control system for reducing disturbance torque of a spacecraft is disclosed. The spacecraft revolves around a celestial body surrounded by an atmosphere. The control system includes processors in electronic communication with one or more actuators and a memory. The memory stores data into a database and program code that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the control system to instruct the spacecraft to enter a safing mode. In response to entering the safing mode, the control system instructs the one or more actuators to align a principal axis of the spacecraft with a vector that is normal to the orbit around the celestial body. The control system also instructs the actuators to rotate the spacecraft about the principal axis, where a rotational orientation of the spacecraft relative to the celestial body is shifted by about one-half a rotation about the principal axis.

Spacecraft attitude control strategy for reducing disturbance torques

A control system for a spacecraft for determining a resultant torque that is exerted upon a spacecraft by one or more magnetic torque rods is disclosed. The spacecraft is configured to revolve around a celestial body in an orbit. A magnetic field of the celestial body is predictable, and a direction of the magnetic field located around the orbit is fixed. The control system includes the one or more magnetic torque rods, one or more processors in electronic communication with the one or more magnetic torque rods, and a memory coupled to the one or more processors. The memory stores data into a database and program code that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the control system to instruct the one or more magnetic torque rods to exert the resultant torque upon the spacecraft.

Spacecraft control system for determining reaction torque

According to an embodiment, a system includes a controller configured to determine a set of background light intensities associated with a satellite, where each background light intensity corresponds to at least one of an orientation and a position of a light source relative to the satellite, to determine a set of relative orientations of the light source corresponding to the set of background light intensities, and to generate an image of the satellite based, at least in part, on the determined set of background light intensities and the determined set of relative orientations of the light source.

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Torrance, CA, United States of America

Christopher James Wasson