Dual-spin Stabilization of a satellite

This goal of this project is to analyze the motion of a torque-free rigid body and determine its trajectory in the inertial frame.

Advisor: Dr. Derek Paley [Download Technical Report here]

Motivation

According to the intermediate axis theorem aka tennis racket theorem, rotation of an object around its intermediate is unstable. This effect may cause the satellite flip around, thus resulting in undesirable behavior or even crash. In this project, we explore the concept of dual-spin stabilization, which builds on the stability analysis of torque-free rotation.

Methodology

Dual-spin stabilization is a method of stabilizing a spacecraft’s orientation in space by adding a rotor/flywheel inside of the spacecraft. Our goal is to achieve stable spinning of the spacecraft around an intermediate axis by introducing a flywheel spinning at the proper speed.

Simulation Results

References

[1] Kasdin, N. Jeremy and Paley, Derek A.. Engineering Dynamics: A Comprehensive Introduction, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011. (link)
[2] Shane Ross. Dual-Spin Spacecraft | Instability of Intermediate and Minimum Principal Axes for Free Rigid Bodiesn. (Youtube link)