An error criterion for the pointing of axially symmetric spacecraft payloads
Abstract
In connection with approaches to minimize the pointing error of the actual orientation of a spacecraft antenna or sensor with respect to the direction of interest, most investigators choose to structure their analysis around one of three conventional measures of the pointing error covariance matrix. The considered investigation is concerned with the development of an error criterion which is 'tailor-made' to the pointing application. The error criterion developed takes special account of the fact that most spacecraft components which require pointing are symmetrical about the boresight axis. This new criterion J(Phi) does not penalize rotation errors about the boresight axis. Moreover, J(Phi) is a measure of the statistical expectation of the mean-square boresight deflection error for that pointing direction which maximizes this error, given a statistically specified set of spacecraft attitude errors. The cost function J(Phi) is compared and related to three more commonly used
- Publication:
-
Journal of Guidance Control Dynamics
- Pub Date:
- December 1983
- DOI:
- 10.2514/3.8529
- Bibcode:
- 1983JGCD....6..484C
- Keywords:
-
- Error Analysis;
- Payload Control;
- Pointing Control Systems;
- Position Errors;
- Satellite Attitude Control;
- Spacecraft Instruments;
- Optimization;
- Reference Stars;
- Spaceborne Telescopes;
- Spacecraft Antennas;
- Star Trackers;
- Statistical Analysis;
- Spacecraft Instrumentation