Attitude Dynamics and Control of a Rigid Spacecraft in LEO
Quaternion simulation, gravity-gradient torque, and PD stabilization in MATLAB.
Overview
Quaternion-based MATLAB simulation of rigid-body attitude dynamics in a 400 km circular orbit, including gravity-gradient disturbance torque and a diagonal quaternion–rate PD controller.
Role
Project Lead
Scenarios Studied
- Stable spin about maximum inertia axis
- Intermediate-axis instability (Dzhanibekov)
- Passive gravity-gradient response
- Active stabilization with PD control
Results
Control reduced attitude error to near zero within about 0.6 orbital periods with peak torques below 0.01 N·m.