Satellites - Attitude Control: Overview

Satellites must take precise measurements from their place in orbit
So they don't wobble, satellites are stabilized
Stabilizing a satellite is attitude control
The attitude of a satellite is its position in space - its orientation
Attitude determines what a satellite looks at - which way its cameras are facing, and the angle the satellite makes with the object it is orbiting
To stabilize a satellite, the satellite must have a system that keeps it moving evenly through its orbit
Satellites often use a spinning or gyroscopic motion to keep them stable
A satellite's measurements and pictures will be inaccurate and fuzzy if it is not stabilized
A satellite's orbit is more likely to decay - slowly change course either toward the Earth or out into space - if it is not stabilized
In stabilizing a satellite, the direction that the satellites' instruments and solar panels are facing is also important
It is easier and cheaper to power a satellite that has solar panels that are constantly exposed to the sunlight; this is necessary for satellites with extraordinarily high energy requirements; however, this is not possible if the satellite is spinning
There are several ways to stabilize a satellite:

Produced by Galactics.
Comments: galactics@spacesim.org.
Last updated on: 8 August 1997.