Solar sail attitude control using shape variation of booms

Abstract Active attitude control of solar sails is required to control the direction of the force generated by Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP). It is desirable to control the attitude through propellant-free means. This paper proposes a new method for attitude control of solar sails: A boom consisting of “smart” structural material can be deformed by the piezoelectric actuator, and Solar Radiation Pressure torque will be generated due to shape variation of sail membrane caused by boom deformation. The method has the advantages of simple structure, small disturbance and small additional load, and is not limited by the size of the solar sail. The case of rendezvous with the Asteroid 2000 SG344 is used to verify the attitude control around the pitch and yaw axes.