A novel star identification algorithm using pattern vector

Agile satellites have rapid development in recent years. High accuracy attitude determination is the guarantee of its rapid attitude maneuver control. Star sensors are the most accurate attitude measurement device. An effective star identification algorithm for star sensors is proposed in the paper which is especially applicable on agile satellites. It can realize identification accurately and effectively. The algorithm eliminates the shortcomings of the conventional algorithm and a comparison between the two algorithms is made. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the conventional algorithm in robustness to magnitude and position noise.