Microsatellite mock-up automatic balancing on the air-bearing laboratory facility

The paper considers the problem of determination of the center of mass position and the inertia tensor of the microsatellite mock-up on an air-bearing test bed using optical measurements. It is possible to shift the position of the mock-up center of mass relative to the suspension center using the system of electrodynamic linear actuators and the loads fixed on them. Using the equations of motion of the mock-up on an aerodynamic suspension and measurements of the angular position, the inertia tensor and the position of the center of mass of the model are estimated. According to the obtained estimated values, linear actuators move to set the required position of the center of mass relative to the suspension point. An experimental study of the developed algorithm for automatic balancing of the microsatellite mock-up is carried out.