Analytical study of microsatellite attitude determination algorithms

An analytical approach to study of attitude determination algorithms is considered. The approach is applicable for quasi-stationary motion determination. It is based on filter post-convergence computation of the Kalman filter covariance matrix and allows one to estimate the influence of unaccounted perturbations on motion determination accuracy. The dependence of attitude determination accuracy on filter parameters and perturbations is obtained. The proposed method of improving the Kalman filter performance is applied on board a microsatellite of the TabletSat series. •Analytical investigation approach to study of Kalman filter performance is applied.•Algorithms which use measurements of attitude determination sensors are considered.•Accuracy dependence on filter parameters and perturbation is obtained.•A set of “TabletSat“ microsatellites attitude determination algorithms is studied.