| Spacecraft equipped with a Reaction Control System (RCS) for attitude control typically utilize a "bang-off-bang" control algorithm for rotational maneuvers. This type of algorithm, which commands two distinct control periods to initiate and terminate a maneuver, can be fuel-suboptimal for maneuvers in which neither the initial nor the final state is at rest. This work introduces a rotational control algorithm for inertially axisymmetric spacecraft that uses three distinct control periods in order to minimize propellant consumption for large-angle maneuvers with non-trivial initial and final angular rates. |
