Output feedback control of satellite attitude using a single vector measurement

The existing methods in attitude control of satellites are based on employing the estimate of satellite attitude which is usually generated by using multiple vector measurements. In this paper we propose an output feedback control law that directly uses a single vector measurement and gyro, and without any need for estimating the satellite attitude. The output feedback gain is computed by solving a generalized Riccati time varying differential equation. We assume the moment-of-inertia matrix of satellite is unknown. The controller guarantees asymptotic convergence of the attitude to its desired value. A realistic simulation is presented where a magnetometer is used to provide the single vector measurement.