Attitude control of spacecraft in low Earth orbits can be achieved by exploiting the torques generated by the geomagnetic field. Recent research has demonstrated that attitude stability of a spacecraft is possible using a linear combination of Euler parameters and angular velocity feedback. The research carried out in this thesis implements a hybrid scheme consisting of magnetic control using on-board dipole moments and a three-axis actuation scheme such as reaction wheels and thrusters. A stability analysis is formulated and analyzed using Floquet and Lyapunov stability theorems.

Attitude control of spacecraft in low Earth orbits can be achieved by exploiting the torques generated by the geomagnetic field. Recent research has demonstrated that attitude stability of a spacecraft is possible using a linear combination of Euler parameters and angular velocity feedback. The research carried out in this thesis implements a hybrid scheme consisting of magnetic control using on-board dipole moments and a three-axis actuation scheme such as reaction wheels and thrusters. A stability analysis is formulated and analyzed using Floquet and Lyapunov stability theorems.