Spacecraft attitude determination using deterministic and stochastic methods

Abstract

In this paper the attitude determination of a micro-satellite is handled applying two different state identification methods. The point-by-point or deterministic method solves the so-called Wahba's problem analytically by means of Davenport's q-method and the recursive or stochastic method estimates the attitude mean and covariance of the satellite's states using Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The comparative results of two methods for the attitude determination of a micro-satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) show the proficiency of the study. © 2017 IEEE.