A method for acquiring images by a spacecraft is disclosed having an observation instrument and a laser transmission module, the method including a phase of acquiring an image of the surface of the Earth and a phase of transmitting images using the laser transmission module, and during each acquisition phase and each transmission phase, the attitude control includes: a pointing modification step during which the attitude of the spacecraft is modified so as to orient the satellite towards a predetermined setpoint, a pointing immobilization step during which the attitude of the spacecraft is controlled for a time interval referred to as an immobilization period so as to keep the spacecraft oriented towards the setpoint.

An approach for managing location of satellites associated with edge computing is disclosed. The approach includes, identifying a group of satellites using edge computing; determining a computation requirement associated with the edge computing; determining existing computational resources associated the group of satellites; determining whether the computation requirement exceeds the existing computation resources; in responsive to having determined that the computational requirement does exceed the existing computation resources, identifying addition resources required; determining one or more orbital positions for the additional resources; and placing the additional resources into the one or more orbital positions in order to participate in the edge computing.

A method of controlling the attitude of a spacecraft in spinning around itself with a non-zero total angular momentum H.sub.TOT. The spacecraft includes a set of inertia flywheels configured to form an internal angular momentum H.sub.ACT. The axis of the total angular momentum H.sub.TOT is aligned with a principal axis of inertia of the spacecraft, in the course of which the inertia flywheels are controlled to form an internal angular momentum H.sub.ACT. The following expression, in which J is the inertia matrix of the spacecraft:

H.sub.actJ.sup.1(H.sub.totJ.sup.1H.sub.tot)

is negative if the principal axis of inertia targeted is the axis of maximum inertia of the spacecraft and is positive if the principal axis inertia targeted is the axis of minimum inertia of the spacecraft.

A method controls an operation of a spacecraft according to a model of the spacecraft. The method determines control inputs for controlling concurrently thrusters of the spacecraft and momentum exchange devices of the spacecraft using an optimization of a cost function over a receding horizon subject to constraints on a pose of the spacecraft and constraints on inputs to the thrusters. The cost function includes components for controlling the pose of the spacecraft and a momentum stored by the momentum exchange devices. The method generates a command to control concurrently the thrusters and the momentum exchange devices according to at least a portion of the control inputs.

A multi-degree-of-freedom electromagnetic machine includes a first structure, a second structure, and a control. The first structure is configured to rotate about a spin axis and about a tilt axis that is perpendicular to the spin axis, and includes a first spin conductor, a second spin conductor, and a tilt conductor, which together form a general shape of a surface. The second structure is disposed adjacent to the first structure and includes a plurality of magnets. The control is configured to controllably supply alternating current (AC) to the first and second spin conductors and direct current (DC) to the tilt conductor, wherein the first structure continuously rotates about the spin axis in response to the AC being supplied to the first and second spin conductors, and rotates about the tilt axis to a tilt position in response to the DC being supplied to the tilt conductor.

Systems and methods can support a plasma propulsion system. The system may include a thrust head comprising a plasma generator and a thrust generator. A propellant handling assembly may be directly coupled to the thrust head. The propellant handling assembly may comprise a manifold and a plurality of valves. A propellant storage vessel may be directly coupled to the propellant handling assembly. A propulsion control module may be operable to receive inputs associated with the plasma propulsion system, generate control outputs associated with the plasma propulsion system, establish and train models relating the inputs and the control outputs, apply the inputs to the models to update the output parameters, and apply the output parameters to control the plasma propulsion system.

A method is provided for efficient orbital launch trajectories. A payload (e.g., satellite) is launched as high as a first radius with respect to the center of the Earth. The method decreases the payload altitude in response to a gravitational pull of the Earth, and ultimately the payload attains a stable orbit around the Earth at a second radius with respect to the center of the Earth. If the first radius is twice the second radius, the payload acquires a gravitational first potential energy at the first radius, and in the stable orbit the payload has a second (potential and kinetic) energy equal to the gravitational first potential energy, with the second kinetic energy being equal to the energy required to maintain a stable orbital velocity. Advantageously, the stable orbit can potentially be at any orbital inclination angle in the range between 0 and 360 degrees.

A control method for controlling a momentum wheel device for stabilizing a spacecraft includes: providing the momentum wheel device as a real momentum wheel device having a momentum wheel driven by a motor; providing a simulated momentum wheel device based on an ideal physical model; concurrent feeding of a torque command to both momentum wheel devices, to change a rotational speed of both momentum wheel devices; controlling the motor to change the rotational speed dependent on the fed torque command; detecting a real rotation angle of the real momentum wheel device; calculating a simulated rotation angle of the simulated momentum wheel device by two-fold integration of the fed torque command; comparing the real rotation angle and the simulated rotation angle and generating an error signal corresponding to a deviation between the real and simulated rotation angles; and controlling the motor due to the error signal to reduce the deviation.

Systems and method for controlling the attitude maneuvers of a spacecraft in space are provided. The method automatically generates optimal trajectories in real-time to guide a spacecraft, providing a much more robust and efficient method than predefined trajectories, to model errors or disturbances. These methods do not rely in predefined trajectories and their associated feed-forward term. The systems comprise sensors, attitude control mechanisms, and a control module to orient the spacecraft in real-time, such that the spacecraft reaches a desired target attitude following an optimal path in the state space and is locally and asymptotically stable.

A method controls an operation of a spacecraft according to a model of the spacecraft. The method determines control inputs for controlling concurrently thrusters of the spacecraft and momentum exchange devices of the spacecraft using an optimization of a cost function over a receding horizon subject to constraints on a pose of the spacecraft and constraints on inputs to the thrusters. The cost function includes components for controlling the pose of the spacecraft and a momentum stored by the momentum exchange devices. The method generates a command to control concurrently the thrusters and the momentum exchange devices according to at least a portion of the control inputs.