PHiFA—A tool for numerical propagation of high-fidelity astrodynamics

This paper presents a tool for the numerical propagation of high-fidelity astrodynamics, called PHiFA. The coupled orbit-attitude dynamics for space objects are modeled by considering various types of perturbative forces and torques. Two methods have been implemented to calculate the surface forces: the area matrix method and the beam method. The beam method is more precise as it discretizes the source media (e.g., sunlight and aerodynamic wind) and the surface of the target into multiple rays and finite elements, respectively, and then accumulates the effect of each hit. The PHiFA tool was tested and validated using a 3U CubeSat model and the defunct European environment satellite (Envisat) model.