Solar sail attitude control using small reaction wheels and magnetic torquers

The current paper describes an attitude control system that uses small reaction wheels and magnetic torquers to control the attitude of a large flexible solar sail in low-Earth orbit (LEO). This system is being proposed for the NASA New Millenium Programme Space Technology-9 solar sail technology demonstration mission. Controlling the attitude of a solar sail with these actuators in LEO was previously considered difficult and thus never proposed before. What makes it possible is choosing the right orbit and judiciously constraining the attitude of the solar sail in that orbit. Simulation results are presented that validate this design approach for solar sail attitude control in LEO.

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