matlab/matlab-agentic-toolkit/matlab-convert-aerospace-coordinates

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Perform aerospace unit conversions, time conversions, coordinate frame transformations, and rotation representations using Aerospace Toolbox. Use when converting units (length, velocity, angle, acceleration, angular velocity, force, mass, pressure, temperature, density), computing Julian dates or decimal years, transforming between coordinate frames (ECEF, ECI, LLA, flat Earth, geodetic/geocentric, NED, body, wind, stability), or working with rotation representations (Euler angles, DCM, quaternion, Rodrigues vector). Also use when the user asks about aerospace coordinate systems, reference frames, or rotation conventions.

Install

npx vskill@latest install matlab/matlab-agentic-toolkit/matlab-convert-aerospace-coordinates

SKILL.md

Aerospace Fundamentals

Core Aerospace Toolbox functions for unit conversions, time conversions, coordinate transformations, and rotation representations.

When to Use

  • Converting between aerospace unit systems (SI, imperial, nautical)
  • Computing Julian dates, modified Julian dates, decimal years, or TDB time
  • Transforming positions between ECEF, ECI, LLA, or flat Earth frames
  • Converting between geodetic and geocentric latitude
  • Building DCMs for frame transformations (ECI↔ECEF, ECEF↔NED, body↔wind, body↔stability)
  • Converting between Euler angles, DCMs, quaternions, and Rodrigues vectors
  • Using the quaternion object for rotation math, interpolation, or composition
  • Identifying which coordinate frame data is expressed in

When NOT to Use

  • Atmosphere models (atmosisa, atmoscoesa) — use matlab-compute-aerospace-environment
  • Airspeed corrections (correctairspeed) — not covered here
  • Orbit propagation or satellite maneuvers — use Aerospace Toolbox, Aerospace Blockset or Satellite Communications Toolbox
  • Navigation-specific transforms (lla2enu, lla2ned) — use Navigation Toolbox
  • Simulink blocks — use /model-based-design-core:building-simulink-models with Aerospace Blockset

Workflow

  1. Identify the coordinate frame — Determine what frame your data is in and what frame you need. See references/coordinate-systems.md for frame definitions and decision guide.
  2. Convert units first — Ensure inputs match the function's expected units before calling transforms.
  3. Apply the transformation — Use the appropriate function with correct argument ordering.
  4. Verify — Round-trip the result back to the original frame; error should be < 1e-10.

Key Functions

Unit Conversions
FunctionConvertsUnits
convlengthLength'ft', 'm', 'km', 'in', 'mi', 'naut mi'
convvelVelocity'ft/s', 'm/s', 'km/s', 'in/s', 'km/h', 'mph', 'kts', 'ft/min'
convangAngle'deg', 'rad', 'rev'
convaccAcceleration'ft/s^2', 'm/s^2', 'km/s^2', 'in/s^2', 'km/h-s', 'mph/s', 'G''s'
convangaccAngular acceleration'deg/s^2', 'rad/s^2', 'rpm/s'
convangvelAngular velocity'deg/s', 'rad/s', 'rpm'
convforceForce'N', 'lbf'
convmassMass'kg', 'lbm', 'slug'
convpresPressure'Pa', 'psi', 'psf', 'atm'
convtempTemperature'K', 'R', 'F', 'C'
convdensityDensity'kg/m^3', 'slug/ft^3', 'lbm/ft^3', 'lbm/in^3'

All conversion functions use the same signature: output = convXXX(value, fromUnit, toUnit)

Time Conversions
FunctionPurposeSince
juliandateCalendar → Julian DateR2006b
mjuliandateCalendar → Modified Julian Date (JD − 2400000.5)R2006b
decyearCalendar → decimal yearR2006b
leapyearTest if year is leap yearR2006b
tdbjuliandateTerrestrial Time → TDB Julian DateR2015a
Coordinate Transformations
FunctionFromToSince
lla2ecefLLA (geodetic)ECEFR2006b
ecef2llaECEFLLA (geodetic)R2006b
lla2eciLLAECIR2014a
eci2llaECILLAR2014a
ecef2eciECEF (pos/vel/acc)ECIR2019a
eci2ecefECI (pos/vel/acc)ECEFR2019a
eci2aerECIAER (azimuth, elevation, range)R2015a
lla2flatLLAFlat EarthR2011a
flat2llaFlat EarthLLAR2011a
geod2geocGeodetic latitudeGeocentric latitudeR2006b
geoc2geodGeocentric latitudeGeodetic latitudeR2006b
ijk2keplerianECI position/velocityKeplerian elementsR2019a
keplerian2ijkKeplerian elementsECI position/velocityR2019a
siderealTimeUTC Julian dateGMST (deg) / GAST (s)R2021a
dcmeci2ecef—ECI-to-ECEF DCMR2013b
dcmecef2ned—ECEF-to-NED DCMR2006b
dcm2latlonECEF-to-NED DCMLat/LonR2006b
dcmbody2windAlpha, BetaBody-to-Wind DCMR2006b
dcm2alphabetaBody-to-Wind DCMAlpha, BetaR2006b
dcmbody2stabilityAlphaBody-to-Stability DCMR2022a
Rotation Representations
FunctionFromToSince
angle2dcmEuler anglesDCMR2006b
dcm2angleDCMEuler anglesR2006b
angle2quatEuler anglesQuaternion (1×4)R2006b
quat2angleQuaternion (1×4)Euler anglesR2007b
dcm2quatDCMQuaternion (1×4)R2006b
quat2dcmQuaternion (1×4)DCMR2006b
angle2rodEuler anglesRodrigues vectorR2017a
rod2angleRodrigues vectorEuler anglesR2017a
dcm2rodDCMRodrigues vectorR2017a
rod2dcmRodrigues vectorDCMR2017a
quat2rodQuaternion (1×4)Rodrigues vectorR2017a
rod2quatRodrigues vectorQuaternion (1×4)R2017a
Quaternion Object
MethodPurpose
quaternion(E,'eulerd',RS,PF)Create from Euler angles (degrees)
quaternion(E,'euler',RS,PF)Create from Euler angles (radians)
quaternion(RM,'rotmat',PF)Create from rotation matrix
quaternion(RV,'rotvec')Create from rotation vector (radians)
compact(q)Extract [w x y z] array
eulerd(q,RS,PF)Convert to Euler angles (degrees)
euler(q,RS,PF)Convert to Euler angles (radians)
rotmat(q,PF)Convert to rotation matrix
rotvec(q) / rotvecd(q)Convert to rotation vector (rad/deg)
rotatepoint(q,pts)Rotate points (active rotation)
rotateframe(q,pts)Rotate frame (passive rotation)
normalize(q)Normalize to unit quaternion
slerp(q1,q2,t)Spherical linear interpolation
meanrot(q)Mean rotation of array
dist(q1,q2)Angular distance (radians)
angvel(q,dt,PF)Angular velocity from quaternion array
randrot(n)Uniform random rotations
Quaternion Math (Array-Based)
FunctionPurposeSince
quatmultiply(q,r)Quaternion product (compose rotations)R2006b
quatconj(q)Conjugate (negate vector part)R2006b
quatinv(q)Inverse (conjugate / norm²)R2006b
quatnormalize(q)Normalize to unit quaternionR2006b
quatnorm(q)Squared norm (q·q)R2006b
quatmod(q)Modulus (sqrt of norm)R2006b
quatrotate(q,v)Rotate vector by quaternionR2006b
quatdivide(q,r)Divide quaternion by quaternionR2006b
quatinterp(p,q,f,method)Interpolate ('slerp', 'lerp', 'nlerp')R2016a
quatexp(q)Exponential of quaternionR2016a
quatlog(q)Natural logarithm of quaternionR2016a
quatpower(q,pow)Quaternion raised to a powerR2016a

Patterns

Unit Conversion
matlab
% Always: convXXX(value, 'from', 'to')
alt_m = convlength(35000, 'ft', 'm'); % 10668.0 m
speed_ms = convvel(250, 'kts', 'm/s'); % 128.61 m/s
angle_rad = convang(45, 'deg', 'rad'); % 0.7854 rad
accel_g = convacc(9.81, 'm/s^2', 'G''s'); % 1.0 G
omega_rpm = convangvel(360, 'deg/s', 'rpm'); % 60 rpm
Time Conversion
matlab
% Julian Date from components (year, month, day, hour, min, sec)
jd = juliandate(2024, 6, 15, 12, 0, 0); % 2460477.0
% Modified Julian Date
mjd = mjuliandate(2024, 6, 15, 12, 0, 0); % 60476.5
% From datetime objects
dt = datetime(2024, 6, 15, 12, 0, 0);
jd = juliandate(dt);
% Decimal year
dy = decyear(2024, 6, 15); % 2024.4536
% TDB Julian Date from Terrestrial Time [yr mo day hr min sec]
tt = [2024 6 15 12 0 0];
jdTDB = tdbjuliandate(tt);
LLA ↔ ECEF
matlab
% LLA is [latitude_deg, longitude_deg, altitude_m]
lla = [40, -74, 0];
ecef = lla2ecef(lla); % [1348613.0, -4703172.4, 4077985.6] m
% Round-trip verification
lla_check = ecef2lla(ecef); % [40.0, -74.0, 0.0]
LLA ↔ ECI (time-dependent)
matlab
% ECI transforms require UTC time
lla = [40, -74, 1000];
utc = [2024 6 15 12 0 0];
posECI = lla2eci(lla, utc);
% Back to LLA
lla_check = eci2lla(posECI, utc);
Keplerian Elements ↔ ECI (IJK)
matlab
% Convert ECI position/velocity to Keplerian orbital elements
rijk = [-2981784; 5207055; 3161595]; % ECI position (m), 3x1
vijk = [-3384; -4887; 4843]; % ECI velocity (m/s), 3x1
[a, ecc, incl, RAAN, argp, nu] = ijk2keplerian(rijk, vijk);
% a=m, angles in degrees
% Convert Keplerian elements back to ECI position/velocity
[rijk_back, vijk_back] = keplerian2ijk(a, ecc, incl, RAAN, argp, nu);
% For a different central body (e.g., Mars)
[a_mars, ecc_mars, incl_mars, RAAN_mars, argp_mars, nu_mars] = ...
ijk2keplerian(rijk, vijk, CentralBody="Mars");
Sidereal Time
matlab
% Compute Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time (GMST) and Apparent (GAST)
utcJD = juliandate(2019, 1, 4, 12, 0, 0); % UTC as Julian date
dUT1 = 0; % UT1-UTC offset (seconds)
dAT = 37; % TAI-UTC offset (leap seconds)
[thGMST, thGAST] = siderealTime(utcJD, dUT1, dAT);
% thGMST in degrees, thGAST in seconds
Flat Earth Approximation
matlab
% Good for short-range simulations (< ~100 km from reference)
llo = [40, -74]; % reference lat/lon (deg)
psio = 0; % angular direction of flat Earth x-axis (rad, 0=North)
href = 0; % reference height (m)
lla_point = [40.01, -73.99, 100];
flatPos = lla2flat(lla_point, llo, psio, href); % [x, y, z] in meters
lla_back = flat2lla(flatPos, llo, psio, href);
Euler Angles ↔ DCM
matlab
% CRITICAL: angle2dcm expects RADIANS, not degrees
yaw = deg2rad(30); pitch = deg2rad(10); roll = deg2rad(5);
dcm = angle2dcm(yaw, pitch, roll, 'ZYX');
% Extract angles back (returns radians)
[y, p, r] = dcm2angle(dcm, 'ZYX');
fprintf('Yaw=%.1f, Pitch=%.1f, Roll=%.1f deg\n', rad2deg(y), rad2deg(p), rad2deg(r));
DCM ↔ Quaternion (Aerospace Toolbox format)
matlab
% Aerospace Toolbox quaternion format: [q0 q1 q2 q3] = [scalar, vector]
q = dcm2quat(dcm); % 1x4, scalar-first
dcm_back = quat2dcm(q); % 3x3
% Verify orthogonality
err = max(abs(dcm' * dcm - eye(3)), [], 'all');
assert(err < 1e-14, 'DCM is not orthogonal');
Quaternion Object (Modern Approach)
matlab
% Create from Euler angles — specify sequence AND frame type
q = quaternion([30 10 5], 'eulerd', 'ZYX', 'frame');
% Rotate a point (active rotation)
pt = [1 0 0];
pt_rotated = rotatepoint(q, pt); % [0.8529, 0.4924, -0.1736]
% Compose rotations by multiplication
q_total = q2 * q1; % applies q1 first, then q2
% Always normalize after arithmetic accumulation
q = normalize(q);
Quaternion Interpolation (SLERP)
matlab
% Smooth interpolation between two orientations
q1 = quaternion([0 0 0], 'eulerd', 'ZYX', 'frame');
q2 = quaternion([90 0 0], 'eulerd', 'ZYX', 'frame');
t = linspace(0, 1, 5)';
q_interp = slerp(q1, q2, t);
% Verify: yaw progresses linearly for pure yaw rotation
e = eulerd(q_interp, 'ZYX', 'frame');
% e(:,1) = [0, 22.5, 45, 67.5, 90]
Quaternion Math (Array-Based Functions)
matlab
% Compose two rotations: q2 applied after q1
q1 = angle2quat(deg2rad(30), 0, 0, 'ZYX');
q2 = angle2quat(0, deg2rad(10), 0, 'ZYX');
q_total = quatmultiply(q2, q1); % q2 * q1 (apply q1 first)
% Inverse rotation
q_inv = quatinv(q1);
q_identity = quatmultiply(q1, q_inv); % [1 0 0 0]
% Rotate a vector
v = [1 0 0];
v_rot = quatrotate(q1, v); % rotate v by q1
% Normalize after accumulation
q_accumulated = quatnormalize(q_total);
% Interpolation (slerp, lerp, nlerp)
q_mid = quatinterp(q1, q2, 0.5, 'slerp');
% Relative rotation: what rotation takes q1 to q2?
q_rel = quatdivide(q2, q1); % q_rel such that q2 = q_rel * q1
% Exponential/logarithm (useful for angular velocity integration)
q_log = quatlog(q1); % maps to tangent space
q_back = quatexp(q_log); % back to quaternion

This is the start of the file. Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub.

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