Investigation into Integrated Attitude Determination in High-Precision CubeSats

摘要

The use of a smart phone as an attitude determination system is proposed, employing the potential as a star tracker. The methodology is initially illustrated for the star tracker's operation. The theoretical performance is then assessed, considering both the Rayleigh criterion of the device and the noise e.quivalent angle, where centroiding accuracy is calculated from the approaches of a microscope. The limit is set by the Rayleigh criterion, where the pointing accuracy cannot fall below 10 arc seconds. The performance is then assessed using real night-sky images. A wider field of view is found to decrease angular distortion, however, the possible number of stars that may be detected increases. The accuracy is proven within 1°. The smart phone magnetometer should not be employed alongside the star tracker as a sensor fused system.