Modeling and simulation of a vector-driven stratospheric satellite

Stratospheric satellite driven by the steady prevailing winds in the stratosphere must be controlled in its longitudinal excursion to keep a latitudinal orbital flight. In a reliable and high-precision control system, an available system model must come first. In this paper, we proposed a 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) model for a novel stratospheric satellite which consists of a high-altitude helium balloon, a framework and two vector-motor-driven propellers. Modeling is based on Newton-Euler formulation, where the additional inertial effect of the huge balloon volume are in consider. Then a series of open-loop control simulations are completed to verify the effectiveness of the model in the performance of longitudinal dynamics, lateral dynamics and yawing of the stratospheric satellite.