CAOSP abstracts, Volume: 47, No.: 2, year: 2017

Author(s): Vertat, I.; Linhart, R.; Masopust, J.; Vobornik, A.; Dudacek, L.
Journal: Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnaté Pleso, vol. 47, no. 2, p. 157-164.
Date: 7/2017
Title: Earth's thermal radiation sensors for attitude determination systems of small satellites
Keyword(s): attitude determination system, thermopile sensor, far infrared radiation, nanosatellite, picosatellite, CubeSat
Pages: 157 -- 164

Abstract: Satellite attitude determination is a complex process with expensive hardware and software and it could consume the most of resources (volume, mass, electric power), especially of small satellites as CubeSats. Thermal radiation infrared detectors could be one of useful sensors for attitude determination systems in such small satellites. Nowadays, these sensors are widely used in contact-less thermometers and thermo-cameras resulting in a low-cost technology. On low Earth orbits the infrared thermal sensors can be utilized for coarse attitude determination against a relative warm and close Earth's globe.

Full text version of this article in PostScript (600dpi) format compressed by gzip; or in PDF.