Jozef C. Van der Ha

• PhD
• Consultant at Satellite Mission Design and Operations

Three-axis attitude estimation for spinning spacecraft is recently of considerable practical interest. In this scope, sequential filtering algorithms are also being studied recently. In this study, we extend our recent research for a nonlinear filtering algorithm for spinning spacecraft attitude estimation. In the filter the attitude of the spacecr...

The spin-axis tilt (SAT), which is also known as dynamic imbalance or coning error, is one of the dominant errors deteriorating the attitude determination accuracy of spinning spacecraft. It is experienced as the misalignment of the major principal axis of the spacecraft from the intended body spin axis. This paper evaluates a straightforward SAT e...

This paper studies the motion of a spinning rigid asymmetric body under an equatorial torque (i.e., normal to spin axis). Through extensive simulations, starting from pure flat-spin motion, four types of motion are identified and visualized as zones within the plane formed by the two torque components. The "No Recovery" zone describes a new type of...

This paper contains the 20th John V. Breakwell Memorial Lecture of the IAF Astrodynamics Committee. It presents a few valuable and also interesting lessons offered by unforeseen dynamical performances of orbiting satellites. Sometimes, the observed dynamical behaviour may be interpreted to some extent as ‘anomalous’ because it does not conform to o...

This paper discusses flat-spin recovery maneuvers by means of a body-fixed torque perpendicular to the maximum principal axis of inertia. The conditions for a successful recovery are established. These are quite different from those obtained when the torque is along the minimum axis of inertia where a mini-mum torque level is required for a success...

This paper gives a detailed evaluation of the solar and thermal radiation acceler-ations acting on the IKAROS spacecraft consisting of a solar sail and a central body during its operational mission from June to December 2010. In particular, the pre-dicted temperatures are compared with actual in-flight measurements on the sail membrane and on the b...

The paper extends and clarifies the stability results for a spinning satellite under axial thrust in presence of internal damped mass motion. It is known that prolate and oblate satellite configurations can be stabilized by damped mass motion. Here, the stability boundaries are established by exploiting the properties of the complex characteristic...

This paper considers a spinning rigid body and a particle with internal motion under axial thrust. This model is helpful for gaining insights into the nutation anomalies that occurred near the end of orbit injections performed by STAR-48 rocket motors. The stability of this system is investigated by means of linearized equations about a uniform spi...

This paper gives a detailed evaluation of the solar and thermal radiation accelerations acting on the IKAROS solar sail and its spacecraft body during its operational mission from June to December 2010. In particular, the predicted temperatures are compared with actual in-flight measurements on the sail membrane as well as on the body. The results...

Precise navigation of interplanetary satellites demands high-fidelity modeling of the forces that may affect the orbit. Whereas the relevant gravitational forces are known to very good precision, appreciable accelerations are also generated by non-conservative small forces like solar radiation pressure. Another small force is caused by the recoil o...

This paper investigates the attitude effects of the non-gravitational disturbances and the gravity-gradient torque on a Mercury orbiter. The harsh solar flux at Mercury induces a strong constraint on the satellite attitude orientation with respect to the Sun direction. By fixing some of the attitude pointing parameters, external disturbance torque...

The paper presents new analytical and numerical results in the field of self-excited rigid-body dynamics of spinning satellites. A practical solution for a flat-spin recovery maneuver is designed and evaluated. The proposed strategy uses a continuous body-fixed torque along the minor principal axis of inertia. The motion about the torque axis is si...

The Hayabusa spacecraft was intentionally destroyed in the atmosphere at superorbital velocity at the conclusion of its asteroid sample return mission in June 2010. This study uses single-station ground-based video observations of the reentry to analyze the breakup of the spacecraft and estimate the trajectory of 80 individual spacecraft fragments....

The perturbations induced by solar and thermal radiation are among the major design drivers for the mission design and operation of near-solar space missions. While the magnitude of these perturbations is proportional to the inverse square of the distance to the sun, their effects may vary drastically depending on the orbit and eclipse condition...

The paper extends and clarifies the stability results for a spinning satellite under axial thrust in presence of internal damped mass motion. It is known that prolate and oblate satellite configurations can be stabilized by damped mass motion. Here, the stability boundaries are established by exploiting the properties of the complex characteris...

This paper presents a method for obtaining the attitude changes experienced by a spinning satellite under torques induced by free-molecular flow. The results are relevant for objects in elliptical Earth orbits with perigees below about 600 km. In particular, this includes satellites and rocket bodies in geostationary transfer orbits. First, a f...

Precise modeling of nonconservative forces is becoming increasingly important for deep-space and interplanetary missions, especially those with strict targeting requirements. Apparent errors in the solar radiation pressure model are often corrected with estimated scale factors in the orbit determination process. For example, several European Space...

This paper presents an analytical approach for the high-fidelity model of the accelerations induced by the Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) and the Thermal Recoil Pressure (TRP) on ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft. The relevant gravitational forces that are induced by planets, moons, and asteroids can readily be incorporated for predicting interplanetary tra...

The Hayabusa mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ended on 13 June, 2010, with the planned atmospheric reentry of the main spacecraft and asteroid sample return capsule. These objects reentered the atmosphere at night, creating bright fireballs in the sky over the Woomera Prohibited Area in the Australian desert. The main spacecraft di...

Precise orbit determination and propagation depends on the accurate modeling of all perturbations acting on a spacecraft orbit. While the gravitational influences (including relativistic effects) can be described accurately by the motion of point masses, most non-gravitational effects interact with the spacecraft surfaces and thus depend on the actu...

This paper presents the effects of the non-gravitational forces acting on a Mercury orbiter. The Albedo and InfraRed radiations originating from Mercury’s surface are expected to significantly influence the orbital motion of the orbiter. Therefore, we study the accelerations induced by the Albedo and Infra-Red radiations from Mercury in addition...

This paper presents novel generic analytical and numerical approaches for modeling the Solar Radiation Pressure and Thermal Recoil Pressure effects for high accuracy mission applications. High fidelity is achieved by taking account of the detailed spacecraft model and the operational history of the high-gain antenna articulations as well as the sp...

This paper considers a spinning rigid body and a particle with internal motion under axial thrust. This model is helpful for gaining insights into the nutation anomalies that occurred near the end of orbit injections performed by STAR-48 rocket motors. The stability of this system is investigated by means of linearized equations about a uniform spi...

This paper presents practical analytical models for spin-axis attitude determination using measurements generated by sun and Earth sensors. In particular, explicit expressions for the least-squares estimates and their associated covariance matrices are established. The adoption of the local reference frame defined by the instantaneous sun and Ear...

Interplanetary spacecraft require precise predictions of their trajectories for achieving their mission targeting requirements. For the purpose of precise navigation, the detailed modeling of all small forces affecting the spacecraft’s orbital motion is necessary. The dominating small forces on an interplanetary trajectory are planetary gravity pe...

This paper uses the linear elliptical planar equations of relative motion of Tschauner and Hempel as the basis for the analysis. A new solution for the V-Bar transfer for arbitrary V-Bar distances is established by using the so-called reduced reference frame. This solution includes the maximum R-Bar path constraint and is valid for arbitrary fin...

The precise navigation of interplanetary satellites requires high-fidelity modeling of the forces affecting the orbit. The relevant gravitational central forces are well known and can be incorporated in a straightforward manner. However, appreciable accelerations may also be induced by non-conservative small forces such as solar radiation pressure....

We study the directional stability of rigid and deformable spinning satellites in terms of two attitude angles. The linearized attitude motion of a free system about an assumed uniform-spin reference solution leads to a generic MGK system when the satellite is rigid or deformable. In terms of Lyapunov’s stability theory, we investigate the stabilit...

In this paper, we study the feasibility of proximity navigation by using the imaging data of a CCD (charge-coupled device) array for an asteroid imaging mission. This strategy reduces the number of probe's units and helps to achieve a high-accuracy relative orbital determination autonomously on-board. The probe's CCD imager is controlled to point t...

The development of small satellites in Universities has become popular in the last 10 years. Recently, Japanese Universities started studying small satellites for Earth observation missions, which form an important category of space missions. For this type of missions, it is necessary to achieve high-accuracy attitude pointing performances. In this...

The Rosetta mission to rendezvous with a comet requires accurate deep-space naviga- tion. The main objective of our research is to develop a thermal radiation model of the spacecraft that can be included in the orbit determination process. This paper describes our preliminary thermal model, and a validation process using past orbit determination da...

Planetary penetrator missions offer excellent opportunities for examining the planetary structure in great detail. The success of such missions largely depends on navigating the penetrator to impact the target with the right orientation so that the scientific instruments onboard are safe. This in turn requires a sophisticated autonomous attitude de...

Interplanetary spacecraft require precise predictions of their trajectories for achieving their mission targeting requirements. For the purpose of precise navigation, the detailed modeling of all small forces affecting the spacecraft’s orbital motion is necessary. The dominating small forces on an interplanetary trajectory are planetary gravity p...

The paper presents a practical spin-axis attitude determination approach based on the Tanygin–Shuster algorithm. The technique is illustrated by means of sensor measurement data originating from two satellites with very different orbit and attitude characteristics. The most appropriate data intervals are identified using criteria based on measur...

The Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft will return to Earth in summer, 2010, carrying samples from asteroid Itokawa. Because the sample return capsule will reenter the atmosphere at night, the capsule and surrounding air will appear as a bright light (i.e., "fireball") during the portion of the trajectory with high aerodynamic heating. Kyushu University,...

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has developed the small demonstration solar sail spacecraft IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun), which will be launched in mid 2010. The main objective of this spacecraft is to deploy the 20m class sail membrane, and demonstrate the acceleration of a spacecraft by the...

The paper presents an efficient practical calibration technique for rhumb-line attitude control manoeuvres of spin-stabilized satellites. The only measurements used in the calibrations are the solar aspect angles generated by a common V-slit Sun sensor. Both the path-length and rhumb-line angle can be established accurately by using the initial and...

The precise navigation of deep-space or interplanetary spacecraft requires precise modeling of all forces affecting the orbital motion. In addition to solar radiation forces, thermal radiation effects may induce appreciable non-gravitational perturbations on deep-space trajectories. Straightforward heat balance analyses of the solar arrays and s...

This paper introduces a practical and low-cost method of orbit acquisition and station-keeping in Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) by using solar radiation pressure (SRP). The proposed method uses a fixed solar sail (or kite) on the satellite to take advantage of the solar radiation pressure over the orbit We study this concept on the basis of a standar...

Spin stabilization offers a straightforward and robust concept for spacecraft attitude control. The spin-axis attitude determination is usually accomplished by means of sun- and Earth-sensor measurements. This paper explores techniques for spin-axis attitude determination using only Earth-sensor data. An immediate attitude determination can be a...

The sample return capsule for the Japanese Hayabusa asteroid mission will return to Earth in 2010. Because the capsule will reenter the atmosphere at night, it will appear as a bright light source during the high-heating portion of the trajectory. The present study describes the development of an operational capability to optically observe this par...

The paper presents practical analytical models for spin-axis attitude determination using measurements generated by Sun and Earth sensors. In particular, compact least-squares estimates and associated covariance matrices are established. The use of the local reference frame defined by the instantaneous Sun and Earth vectors leads to compact analyti...

This paper introduces an efficient data handling architecture for small satellites based on the design of the data handling system of QSAT. QSAT is the satellite which is being developed in Kyushu University together with other universities and local industries. The development concept of the data handling system of QSAT is straightforward, flexibl...

This paper focuses on university satellite projects that have spread all over the world in recent decades. In this study, a university satellite refers to a satellite project that is initiated by students. In most cases, university satellites are relatively small with a mass between 1 kg (10-cm cubic satellites) and 50 kg (50-cm cubic satellite). A...

This paper explains the attitude control method for a 50 kg class satellite QSAT. It uses three-axis magnetorquers for control and a gravity-gradient extension boom for enhancement of the attitude stabilization. We divide the mission period into three main attitude-control phases. The first phase refers to the de-tumbling which ends when one partic...

In Space Systems Dynamics Laboratory at Kyushu University, the mini-satellite QSAT is being developed. This satellite aims at investigating the plasma physics in the aurora zone in order to better understand spacecraft charging and at conducting a comparison of Field-Aligned-Currents observed in orbit with ground-based observations. In order to ach...

This review paper presents a few topics in the field of spacecraft attitude determination and control. The topics are selected from the author’s experiences in designing and operating a number of ESA and NASA satellites during the last 30 years. The paper covers both spin-stabilized and three-axis-stabilized spacecraft which use very different conc...

We examine vectors and attitude in Engineering with greater attention to detail than in earlier works on the subject. This tutorial is an expansion of part of a survey of attitude representations. The most salient characteristic of this work is a greater emphasis on the distinction between physical vectors and their representation as column vectors...

“Galileo Galilei” (GG) is a small satellite designed to fly in low Earth orbit with the goal of testing the Equivalence Principle—which is at the basis of the General Theory of Relativity—to 1 part in 1017. If successful, it would improve current laboratory results by 4 orders of magnitude. A confirmation would strongly constrain theories; proof of...

"Galileo Galilei" (GG) is a small satellite designed to fly in low Eath orbit with the goal of testing the Equivalence Principle - which is at teh basis of the General Theory of Relativity - to 1 part in 10^17. If successfull, it would improve current laboratory results by 4 order of magnitudes. A confirmation would strongly constrain theories; pro...

This paper provides an overview of a low-cost small university satellite. In June 2006, JAXA announced a program for the selection of H-IIA piggyback passengers to small-satellite projects performed by universities and regional communities in Japan. In this context, we started the satellite project named QSAT (Kyushu Satellite) in 2006. The primary...

One of the most effective ways for performing low-cost attitude control of satellites is by utilizing the Earth’s magnetic-field. In this paper, we present attitude control techniques that use only magnetic devices for active control. First, we summarize a few methods that have been used in orbit. Next, we discuss the details of the control methods...

The paper presents a practical spin-axis attitude determination approach based on the Tanygin-Shuster (T-S) algorithm. The technique is illustrated by means of sensor measurement data originating from two satellites with very different orbit and attitude characteristics. The most appropriate data intervals are identified using criteria based on mea...

Spin stabilization offers a straightforward concept for spacecraft attitude stabilization. In the case of Earth-orbiting satellites, the determination of the spin-axis pointing direction is usually accomplished by using sun and Earth sensor measurements. For deep-space missions, however, useful Earth sensor measurements are not available. This...

This paper presents the attitude determination concept and simulation results of the QSAT micro-satellite with specific emphasis on the eclipse attitude operations. QSAT is being developed in Kyushu University, and its baseline mission is to perform plasma observations. In order to achieve the mission objectives, the QSAT attitude must be kept orie...

This paper studies the effect of the thermal radiation forces on a spacecraft trajectory during swing-by. Earth swing-by can be an effective technique for a satellite to increase and decrease its heliocentric orbital velocity far beyond the capability of its propulsion system. During the swing-bys of Galileo, NEAR, Cassini and Rosetta, anomalous ve...

A micro satellite named QSAT (Kyushu Satellite) is under development in Kyushu area in Japan. Primary mission objectives of this satellite are investigation plasma physics in the Earth's aurora zone in order to better understand spacecraft charging, and conduct a comparison of the filed-aligned current observed in orbit with ground-based observatio...

Solar radiation pressure effects have been exploited by satellites for about four decades. Concepts have been developed for using solar radiation forces and torques in practical applications, for instance, for orbit stationkeeping and attitude stabilization of geostationary communications satellites. The forces and torques induced by solar radiat...

The attitude control of a spin-stabilized spacecraft is usually performed by a forced precession of the spin axis produced by a series of pulsed thrust actuations. A sun sensor is used for the proper timing of the thrust pulses so that the spin axis describes a rhumb-line path on the unit-sphere. The rhumb-line equations are derived from first pri...

Small Satellites are establishing themselves as important tools for exploring our solar system. Developments in micro-electronics have enabled small and low-cost deep space probes to complement conventional space platforms in long-duration deep space missions. The paper presents a baseline design of an attitude control system for a spacecraft perfo...

A practical model is presented for the effects of biases on the spin-axis attitude pointing orientation of a spin-stabilized spacecraft. Biases are induced by spacecraft design limitations, for example, dynamic imbalance and sensor mounting alignment errors, and by environmental effects such as the variations in the infra-red Earth radius seen b...

Small Satellites are establishing themselves as important tools for exploring our solar system. Developments in microelectronics have enabled small and low-cost deep space probes to complement conventional space platforms in long-duration deep space missions. There is obviously an incentive to develop and enhance autonomous and robust guidance and...

The equal-chord method offers a straightforward and low-cost technique for the determination of the spin-axis attitude using sun and Earth sensor data. The Earth aspect angle follows from the time at which the chord lengths measured by the Earth sensor’s two pencil beams are equal. An estimation technique is not required, but linear or quadrati...

The attitude control of a spin-stabilized spacecraft is performed by a forced precession of the spin axis produced by a series of pulsed thrust actuations. Thruster performance characteristics (i.e., the thrust pulse’s integrated magnitude and its effective centroid time) constitute the principal error sources governing the accuracy of an attitude...

The present study provides an assessment of the dynamical processes that take place during the solid-rocket motor (SRM) burn of a spin-stabilized spacecraft. We discuss the equations of motion for a system consisting of a rigid-body spacecraft and the gases in the SRM combustion chamber without specifying a model for the gas flow. In particular,...

Space Weather has a tremendous effect not only on our day-to-day activities on Earth but also on our space assets. Communications, weather prediction, Internet, TV broadcasting and space mission planning depend heavily on ground and space infrastructure. Thus it becomes more important than ever to establish a space- based network which is capable o...

The Equal-Chord Method offers a straightforward and low-cost technique for the determination of the spin axis attitude using Sun and Earth sensor data. The Earth aspect angle follows from the time at which the chord-lengths measured by the Earth sensor’s two pencil-beams are equal. An estimation technique is not required but linear or quadratic fit...

The paper studies the effects of biases affecting the attitude determination of a spin-stabilized spacecraft. Biases are induced by spacecraft design limitations (e.g., dynamical imbalance and sensor mounting errors) and by environmental effects like offsets in the infra-red Earth radius. The measurement equations for the Sun sensor slit crossings...

The present study provides an assessment of the dynamical processes that take place during the SRM (Solid Rocket Motor) burn of a spin-stabilized spacecraft. The equations of motion are derived from the theory of ‘variable mass systems’ and describe the dynamics of the system consisting of a rigid-body spacecraft and the gases in the SRM combustion...

The pressure on achieving cost reductions in Mission Operations has been increasing steadily during the past decade and there is no relaxation in sight for the near future. Therefore, it is necessary to scrutinize mission design and operations concepts for potential in achieving still better cost effectiveness. The present paper presents an assessm...

The CONTOUR spacecraft was launched on July 3, 2002 and placed in an Earth phasing orbit that lasted about 6 weeks. The spacecraft was kept in a spin-stabilized configurationthroughout this period. The main objective during this phase was to achieve the proper orbit and attitude parameters for the injection (by means of a Solid Rocket Motor) in...

‘Small Satellites’ and ‘Faster, Better, Cheaper’ (or FBC) represent low-cost, fast track, and efficient management concepts that have revolutionized the implementation of satellite missions during the last decade. After a few well- publicized mission failures in 1999, serious doubts on the merits of the FBC principles have arisen: many critics be...

This paper provides a review of a number of important and interesting recent developments that have occurred in the managemerrt and implementation of 'Small Satellite' missions. Since a few years the traditional distribution of roles between government and industry are being redefined and restructured for a number of satellite programs. Novel man...

This volume of proceedings contains papers presented at an international Workshop entitled Mission Design and Implementation of Satellite Constellations in Toulouse, France, in November 1997. This Workshop represented the first international gathering of specialists in this currently very active field of research. The rise of satellite constellatio...

A few Small Satellite missions have been analysed in terms of cost-effectiveness and novelty of design implementation and operations concepts. The most important lessons learned have been identified. In particular, the process by which effective mission system design and development are accomplished is addressed. The 'Faster, Cheaper, and Better' c...

The papers contained in this Volume of Proceedings have been collected from an international Workshop entitled 'Mission Design and Implementation of Satellite Constellations' which was held in Toulouse, France, in November 1997. This Workshop represented the first international gathering of the specialists in this currently very active field of res...

This paper has been prepared by the Astrodynamics Committee of the IAF (International Astronautical Federation). It describes a selection of noteworthy developments in the general area of astrodynamics that have occurred over the last few years. The purpose of this paper is to recall these highlights and their backgrounds for the benefit of the as...

The present paper identifies and evaluates the various methodologies for performing cost-effective mission operations within the general framework of the ‘Faster, Cheaper, and Better’ paradigm. Emphasis is placed on the mission system engineering process which represents the overall context in which life-cycle costeffectiveness must be measured. Th...

This Note is based on a presentation made at the special session “Tribute to John Breakwell” of the 42nd IAF Congress (Montreal, 7–11 October 1991) recalling in turn the curriculum, the professional recognition, the major contributions, the IAF involvement and the friendship qualities of this outstanding Astrodynamicist.

The Hipparcos satellite was launched during the night of 8 August 1989 by an Ariane-4 launch vehicle. Because of failure of the satellite's apogee boost motor to fire, Hipparcos did not achieve its intended geostationary orbit. A significant redesign of the mission-operations concept and associated ground-support facilities was immediately starte...

The results of an analytical study of optimal rendezvous between close coplanar satellites by means of finite-thrust arcs are presented. Explicit solutions are provided for cases where rendezvous can be established by means of a thrust strategy involving two circumferential finite-thrust arcs. In general, a relatively straightforward iteration sche...

A general formulation for relative motion is presented allowing for arbitrary perturbing or thrust forces on each of the two satellites. Exact as well as approximate perturbation solutions for the relative motion under constant radial or circumferential forces acting on the subsatellite are established. The validity and usefulness of these solution...

This book presents, in detail, the Hipparcos spacecraft and describes its performance. The payload, along with the thermal, mechanical and electrical subsystems, is described. Contents: 1. Operating principle and satellite overview. 2. The payload. 3. The spacecraft. 4. Verification. 5. Commissioning, calibration and operations.

Extensions to the classical Clohessy-Wiltshire (1960) orbital rendezvous conditions are presented. Whereas the Clohessy-Wiltshire rendezvous provides the instantaneous velocity impulses required for establishing rendezvous after a specified interval, the extensions analyzed here are the following: (1) the constant finite-thrust levels required for...

The paper provides a broad outline of ESOC's operational activities related to the support of the HIPPARCOS payload functions during the normal mission. These activities are classified in terms of preparatory, monitoring, and processing tasks.

ESA's astrometry satellite Hipparcos is presently at an advanced stage of integration and testing. Design of the dedicated ground-segment functions required to support this mission has been completed and the various support elements are now being implemented. The paper provides a global description of the important role of the ground segment in sup...

The present paper described the strategy and algorithms used during the initial on-ground three-axes attitude determination of ESA's astrometry satellite HIPPARCOS. The estimation is performed using calculated crossing times of identified stars over the Star Mapper's vertical and inclined slit systems as well as outputs from a set of rate-integrati...

The first checks to be performed on the integrity of the scientific data produced by the HIPPARCOS satellite will be carried out at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in close to real-time. A subset of the samples from the main detector and from the star mapper detectors will be reduced to yield essential signal parameters. These parameter...

General expressions for torques induced by the free-molecular flow interaction with a spinning satellite are presented. Since the results are intended for application to spinning satellites in geostationary transfer orbits, a number of simplifications which are consistent with this environment are introduced. Expressions for the torques are obtaine...

A theoretical model for the spin axis attitude changes induced by free-molecular torques during the perigee region passage in a geostationary transfer orbit is developed. It is shown that the direction of the attitude change is essentially normal to the plane formed by the attitude orientation and perigee velocity vector. A verification of the mode...

A model for the long-term evolution of free-drifting near-geostationary satellite orbits is presented. A first-order analytical averaging transformation is applied to the perturbation equations in order to eliminate the short-term (with period of order of one day) variations of the orbital elements. The model includes lunisolar gravitational forces...

Fundamental biases in V-slit sun and pencil-beam infrared Earth sensor measurements are identified and modeled in terms of representative covariances. Their effects on attitude determination accuracy are assessed by means of covariance transformations following the calculations involved in a realistic attitude estimation process. The results ar...

The possibility of using the RIT-l0 low-thrust experiment to control Eureca's orbital decay during its free-flight phase is investigated. The optimal thruster switch-on and switch-off points are determined while taking account of the thrusting direction relative to that of the Carrier's velocity. An analytical model of the changes in the orbita...