The objective of the research was to develop the Attitude Control System algorithm to be implemented in the Earth Observation Satellite System composed of leader-follower formation. The main task of the developed Attitude Control System is to execute attitude change manoeuvres required to point the axis of the image acquisition sensor to the fixed target on the Earth’s surface, while the satellite is within the segment of an orbit, where image acquisition is possible. Otherwise, the satellite maintains a nadir orientation. The control strategy is realized by defining the high-level operational modes and control laws to manage the attitude control actuators: magnetorquers used for desaturation of the reaction wheels and reaction wheels used for agile attitude variation. A six-degree-of-freedom satellite model was used to verify whether the developed Attitude Control System based on PID controllers for actuators performs attitude control in line with the requirements of an Earth Observation System. The simulations done for a variety of combinations of orbital parameters and surface target positions proved that the designed Attitude Control System fulfils the mission requirements with sufficient accuracy This high-level architecture supplemented by a more detailed control system model allowed proving efficient functionalities performance.

The objective of the research was to investigate the efficiency of selected methods of data fusion from visual sensors used on-board satellites for attitude measurements. Data from a sun sensor, an earth sensor, and a star tracker were fused, and selected methods were applied to calculate satellite attitude. First, a direct numerical solution, a numerical and analytical solution of the Wahba problem, and the TRIAD method for attitude calculation were compared used for integrating data produced by a sun sensor and an earth sensor. Next, attitude data from the star tracker and earth/sun sensors were integrated using two methods: weighted average and Kalman filter. All algorithms were coded in the MATLAB environment and tested using simulation models of visual sensors. The results of simulations may be used as an indication for the best data fusion in real satellite systems. The algorithms developed may be extended to incorporate other attitude sensors like inertial and/or GNSS to form a complete satellite attitude system.