Studies of Satellite Position Measurements of LEO CubeSat to Identify the Motion Mode Relative to Its Center of Mass

Abstract

This paper addresses the possibility of reconstructing motion relative to the center of mass of a low Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellite of the CubeSat 3U standard using satellite position measurements (Two-Line Element Set (TLE)). This kind of task needs to be performed in the case where it is not possible to establish radio communication with the nanosatellite after it is launched into orbit. Therefore, it is important for the nanosatellite developers to develop some understanding of what is going on with the nanosatellite in order to be able to analyze the current situation after deployment. The study was carried out on the example of the aerodynamically stabilized SamSat-218D nanosatellite developed by the professors and students of Samara National Research University. SamSat-218D was launched into a near-circular orbit with an average altitude of 486 km on April 2016 during the first launch campaign from the Vostochny cosmodrome. Knowledge of CubeSat aerodynamics allows estimating the nature of its possible motion relative to the CubeSat center of mass by ballistic coefficient changes, evaluated with the use of satellite position measurements. The analysis showed that SamSat-218D performed spatial rotation with an angular velocity of more than two degree per second and had not stabilized aerodynamically by 2 March 2022, when it entered the atmosphere and was destroyed.