Optimized Attitude Maneuver Planning for Spacecraft with 2-DOF Turntables

Compared with rigid three-axis spacecraft, spacecraft with movable mechanisms is more efficient in attitude maneuver missions. This paper investigates the application of an optimization method for attitude trajectory planning of a spacecraft with dual two-degree-of-freedom turntables. A decoupled strategy is employed to decompose the desired pointing direction into the body quaternion and the turntable joint angles. Energy consumption and trajectory smoothness objective functions are designed while satisfying pointing constraints. Using the axle-fixed rotation of the quaternion sequence as a design variable, an optimization algorithm based on differential evolution is employed for attitude trajectory optimization. The optimal solutions for the body attitude and joint angles are parameterized using cubic spline functions, and the complete trajectory of the system states is solved. Simulations of attitude trajectory planning for spacecraft with dual two-degree-of-freedom turntables verify the effectiveness of proposed method.