Attitude determination for nano-satellites -- I. Spherical projections for large field of view infrasensors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel attitude determination method for nano-satellites using thermal imaging sensors, specifically by modeling the spherical projection of infrasensors to accurately locate infrared sources for spacecraft orientation.

Contribution

It determines the spherical projection function of infrasensors, enabling precise attitude estimation without star trackers in nano-satellite missions.

Findings

Achieved ~40' accuracy in locating infrared sources.

Validated the projection model for the MLX90640 sensor.

Supports full 3-DoF attitude recovery using thermal sensors.

Abstract

Due to the advancement of nano-satellite technology, CubeSats and fleets of CubeSats can form an alternative to high-cost large-size satellite missions with the advantage of extended spatial coverage. One of these initiatives is the Cubesats Applied for MEasuring and LOcalising Transients (CAMELOT) mission concept, aimed at detecting and localizing gamma-ray bursts with an efficiency and accuracy comparable to large gamma-ray space observatories. While precise attitude control is not necessary for such a mission, attitude determination is an important issue in the interpretation of scintillator detector data as well as optimizing downlink telemetry. The employment of star trackers is not always a viable option for such small satellites, hence another alternative is necessary. A new method is proposed in this series of papers, utilizing thermal imaging sensors to provide simultaneous measurement of the attitude of the Sun and the horizon by employing a homogeneous array of such detectors. The combination with Sun and horizon detection w.r.t. the spacecraft would allow the full 3-DoF recovery of its attitude. In this paper we determine the spherical projection function of the MLX90640 infrasensors planned to be used for this purpose. We apply a polynomial transformation with radial corrections to map the spatial coordinates to the sensor plane. With the determined projection function the location of an infrared point source can be determined with an accuracy of ~40', well below the design goals of a nano-satellite designed for gamma-ray detection.