Abstract: Abstract：A method for solid propellant microthruster array consumption estimation is proposed in this paper for attitude control of microsatellite in orbit entry stage. The microthruster unit call rule and attitude control laws of velocity damping and attitude capture are designed. Considering the uncertainty of each microthruster unit impulse output, we use the interval number to represent the microthruster unit torque output and then estimate the consumption of the microthruster unit for attitude control with interval algorithm. By means of the irrelevance of interval number, the interval computation process is improved, and the interval expansion induced by the interval integral is reduced. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the estimation method is not dependent on the probability characteristic of the microthruster unit torque output.  

Key words: Keywords：attitude control, actuator design, solid propellant microthruster array, interval algorithm