Attitude Motion of Unbalanced Partial-Spin Spacecraft

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the complex attitude dynamics of unbalanced partial-spin spacecraft with asymmetric platforms, deriving analytical solutions, proposing a stability criterion, and validating results through numerical simulations to aid design and control.

Contribution

It introduces a novel stability criterion and analytical solutions for the attitude motion of unbalanced partial-spin spacecraft, enhancing understanding of their dynamic behavior.

Findings

Analytical solutions for angular velocities derived

A new stability criterion proposed

Numerical simulations confirm analytical results

Abstract

This paper focuses on the attitude motion of spacecraft systems featuring asymmetric spacecraft platforms and unbalanced rotors. Through perturbation expansion, the spacecraft dynamic equation is simplified as a linear periodically time-varying (LPTV) system, and analytical solutions of angular velocities are derived. A novel stability criterion is proposed, providing insights into stability transitions and dynamic behavior. Furthermore, the characteristic motions of precession and nutation are analytically investigated, highlighting their dependence on system inertia properties. Numerical simulations are performed to validate the analytical results, showing excellent agreement within defined operational domains and offering error bounds for linearization. The findings advance the understanding of unbalanced partial-spin spacecraft dynamics and provide practical guidance for the design and optimization of such systems.