Gyroless Attitude Estimation of the Sun-Pointing Mode Satellite

Reliable attitude estimation during the launch and early orbit phase is a critical issue for a satellite. Typically gyroscopes and other sensors are utilized to estimate the attitude during this phase. It is difficult to estimate the attitude quickly and reliably using gyroscopes because it requires a large computational load and accurate sensor measurements. Furthermore, the gyroscope failure may lead to the loss of the satellite. This paper suggests a simple attitude estimation method of a low earth orbit satellite without using gyroscopes, but only using sun sensors and magnetometers in the sun-acquisition mode. Using Kompsat-I telemetry data, we verified that the suggested algorithm provides attitude estimation within 3 degrees on each axis.