Solar Sail Momentum Management With Mass Translation and Reflectivity Devices Using Predictive Control

Abstract

Solar sails enable propellant-free space missions by utilizing solar radiation pressure as thrust. However, disturbance torques act on the solar sail and effective attitude control leads to the continuous accumulation of reaction wheel angular momentum, necessitating an efficient momentum management strategy to prevent saturation. This paper presents a novel momentum management controller using model predictive control (MPC) that is tailored for solar sails, accommodating the unique actuation mechanisms of an active mass translator (AMT) and reflectivity control devices (RCDs). A first-order hold discretization and tailored motion costs are applied to the AMT translation, while the RCD actuation is handled using pulse-width modulation (PWM)-inspired quantization to address their on-off inputs. To enhance prediction accuracy, an iterative backwards-in-time MPC approach is introduced, incorporating the effects of PWM-quantized inputs into the optimization process. The dynamic model accounts for the time-dependent center of mass and moment of inertia changes caused by AMT translation, extending its applicability to other spacecraft with mass-shifting actuators. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in reaction wheel desaturation, attitude control, and momentum management actuation efficiency, highlighting the potential of integrating MPC to manage coupled nonlinear dynamics and discrete actuator constraints for solar sails.