On-orbit determination and adjustment of electrostatic accelerometer lever arm

In order to ensure the proof mass center of electrostatic accelerometer (EA) is fixed at the center of gravity of satellite as precisely as possible, an on-orbit determination and adjustment strategy of EA lever arm is presented in this paper. The EA lever arm is determined using the observations of EA, gyro and magnetometer first. Then it is adjusted by screw slider mechanism. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can be carried out several times to yield better accuracy. Meanwhile, the optimal geographic location for EA lever arm determination along each axis is found.