Reconstruction of spacecraft Progress attitude motion in single axis solar orientation mode by measurements of current from solar arrays

We reconstructed the uncontrolled attitude motion of the cargo spacecraft Progress M-24M, M-25M, MC-05 и MC-06 in the single-axis solar orientation mode (so-called solar rotation). At the beginning of the oriented motion, the spacecraft rotated around the normal to solar batteries with angular rate 2.2 deg./s and the normal was directed to the Sun. The oriented motion lasted for a few orbit revolutions. The reconstruction was made using measurements of the electric current from spacecraft solar arrays. The measurement data, collected in a time interval about a few tens of minutes, were processed simultaneously by statistical methods and integration of the spacecraft attitude motion equations. As a result, the spacecraft attitude motion was reconstructed relative to the direction Earth–Sun. The investigation of the current specter showed the possibility of this way of motion reconstruction using current measurements, which were seemed to be not informative for this purpose.