Mathematical model of satellite with arbitrary number of flexible appendages

The paper considers the development, implementation and verification of a mathematical model of a spacecraft with an arbitrary number of large flexible elements. The model of the spacecraft is derived by using D'Alembert's principle and is written in generalized coordinates. The flexible elements can be attached to the satellite main body cantilever and using 1DOF and 2DOF hinges. Due to the method used in the paper for deriving equations of motion, the proposed satellite model enables changing the number of flexible elements and types of joints without rewriting the equations of motion in the symbolic form. It ensures the model flexibility from the perspective of the software implementation.