Kalman Filtering and the Attitude Determination and Control Task

Abstract : The attitude determination and control subsystem requirements or various payloads on the FalconSAT 3 satellite are stringent enough to demand some type or data processing in order to meet attitude determination requirements. This paper details one data filter, the Kalman filter, and more specifically, the 7-state and 6-state Kalman filters. Both filters prove to meet the attitude determination requirements successfully with little difference in achieved accuracy. However, the 6-state filter places much less computational demand upon the on-board computer. Based upon this data, the 6-state filter is a more logical choice for the FS3 attitude determination and control subsystem filter. However, there is still much analysis that needs to be completed before a final verdict might be reached. This paper examines both of these Kalman filters from a theoretical standpoint before examining practical implementation and concerns therein.