Improved sensor fusion for flying laptop based on a multiplicative EKF

Flying Laptop is a small satellite carrying an optical communications payload. It was launched in 2017. To improve the satellite’s attitude determination, which is used to point the payload, a new sensor fusion algorithm based on a low pass filter and a multiplicative extended Kalman filter (MEKF) was developed. As an operational satellite, improvements are only possible via software updates. The algorithm estimates the satellite's attitude from star tracker and fibre-optical gyroscope (FOG) measurements. It also estimates the gyroscope bias. The global attitude estimate uses a quaternion representation, while the Kalman filter uses Gibbs Parameters to calculate small attitude errors. Past Kalman filter predictions are saved for several time steps so that a delayed star tracker measurement can be used to update the prediction at the time of measurement. The estimate at the current time is then calculated by predicting the system attitude based on the updated past estimate. The prediction step relies on the low-pass-filtered gyroscope measurements corrected by the bias estimate. The new algorithm was developed as part of a master’s thesis at the University of Stuttgart, where Flying Laptop was developed and built. It was simulated in a MATLAB/Simulink environment using the European Space Agency’s GAFE framework. In addition, the new filter was applied to measurement data from the satellite. The results were used to compare the performance with the current filter implementation. The new Kalman filter can deal with delayed, missing, or irregular star tracker measurements. It features a lower computational complexity than the previous standard extended Kalman filter used on Flying Laptop. The mean error of the attitude estimate was reduced by up to 90%. The low pass filter improves the rotation rate estimate between star tracker measurements, especially for biased and noisy gyroscopes. However, this comes at the cost of potentially less accurate attitude estimates. Educational satellites benefit from the new algorithm given their typically limited processing power and cheap commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) sensors. This paper presents the approach in detail and shows its benefit

Pointing Enhancement for an Optical Laser Downlink Using Automated Image Processing

The small satellite Flying Laptop, launched in July 2017, was developed and built by graduate and undergraduate students at the Institute of Space Systems of the University of Stuttgart with support by space industry and research institutions. The mission goals are technology demonstration, earth observation, and serving as an educational satellite. At a mass of 110 kg, it features three-axis stabilized attitude control and several payloads, including an AIS receiver, a multi spectral camera system, a wide angle camera, and an optical communication terminal. The pointing requirement for the optical communication is an accuracy of less than 150 arcseconds during a target overflight. To fulfill this requirement, several measures are needed. A major part of them is the characterization of the attitude control system (ACS). Since there is no optical receiver onboard, it is not possible to perform closed loop tracking of the satellite attitude. Therefore, the absolute performance and the characteristic noise levels of the attitude control system, can only be determined with other payloads. In this case the multi-spectral camera system was used, providing a ground resolution of 25 m. To use the images from the satellite to improve the ACS, three steps have to be taken. As a first action, the images have to be georeferenced to know the position of each pixel in the WGS84 coordinate system. With this information, the deviation of the image center from the desired target is measured. This second step includes the calculation of the deviation matrix. To avoid a corruption of the attitude control of the satellite, the matrix is checked for unrealistic values in a third and final step. These three actions can be repeated as needed without human interaction. By updating the ACS model onboard the satellite, the results of the image processing are used to correct the off-pointing. This deviation is time invariant and is caused by an insufficient alignment of the satellite axes and the cameras on ground. In contrast to that, characterizing noise as a time variant factor, the ACS is tested over a long period of time. This is achieved by analyzing images from one, as well as from multiple target overflights. This conquers the issue of a very low image rate while observing high frequency attitude changes. Using this mechanism, the proposed process can be used to continuously monitor the pointing quality. As a first approach the described processing is done manually by comparing the target position on Earth with the center of the taken image. The method successfully showed an improvement of the pointing in the pictures, paving the way for their automation. This paper gives an overview of the needed image processing and tools to automatically use cameras on board the satellite to validate and improve the ACS periodically. First results of the long term characteristics and pointing improvements are shown

Improvements in Attitude Determination and Control of the Small Satellite Flying Laptop

Precise attitude control is a key factor of many payloads with high ground resolutions, small fields of view or narrow beams such as an optical data downlink. The small satellite Flying Laptop (FLP), launched in July 2017, was developed by graduate and undergraduate students at the Institute of Space Systems of the University of Stuttgart with support by the space industry and research institutions. The satellite is three-axis stabilized with reaction wheels as main actuators. FLP is equipped with the OSIRIS optical data downlink which was built by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). As this instrument is body mounted on an optical bench, the attitude determination and control system (ACS) is required to point the whole satellite in the direction of the ground station with a high pointing accuracy of 150 arcseconds. At the time of launch the ACS did not reach this precision. This paper describes how the attitude determination and control were improved to achieve the required performance. The improvements can be divided into two parts. The first part includes the enhancement of on-board sensor processing and attitude control. In the second part, in-orbit data were utilized to increase the accuracy of parameters which are used to control the spacecraft. The first part includes the addition of a Kalman filter, an improved position propagation, and the introduction of adaptive gains to the on-board ACS. The FLP simulation test bed was used to verify the changes. The test bed was also used to find adequate initial values for the Kalman filter and to find inaccuracies in the sensor processing. In the second part, the adaptive gains and the Kalman initial values were validated in-orbit after the upload of the new sensor processing. Moreover, the on-board component orientation settings were corrected for the star trackers, the multi-spectral camera system, and the OSIRIS instrument on FLP. As a result, the satellite fulfills the pointing requirement of less than 150 arcsecond deviation from the target attitude for a sufficient period of time during a pass over the target. Successful links with the optical data downlink were demonstrated with the DLR ground station in Oberpfaffenhofen

Comparison of the Low-Cost Sun Sensors of the SOURCE and EIVE CubeSats

Sun sensors are commonly used attitude determination equipment which measure a spacecraft’s attitude relative to the sun. Multiple types of low-cost sun sensors were developed for the SOURCE and EIVE CubeSats. The SOURCE sun sensors consist of single photodiodes which are placed in a one-sensor-per-face as well as a pyramid arrangement. EIVE employs digital vector sun sensors based on quad-pin photodiodes. The SOURCE sun sensors in the one-sensor-per-face arrangement archive an accuracy of \u3c10° while the pyramid arrangement accomplishes an accuracy of \u3c7.5° without and \u3c5° with calibration. EIVE’s vector sun sensors offer an raw accuracy of 3°±5°. Multiple calibration approaches are presented with the best results leading to an accuracy of 0.7±3°. A direct comparison between the SOURCE and EIVE sensor types and configurations can be drawn since the same test bench was used to measure all sensors. The objective of this paper is to present and compare the different sun sensor concepts and their results

Transmitter Beam Bias Verification for Optical Satellite Data Downlinks with Open-Loop Pointing – the 3-OGS-Experiment

Optical free-space data downlinks from LEO satellites benefit considerably from reduced effort on the space segment, when a dedicated pointing mechanism and active tracking of a ground beacon can be avoided. Instead, the attitude of the satellite is dynamically determined from its star cameras and other sensors. Initial calibration for this technique requires recording of the spatial and temporal beam distribution on the Earth’s surface. We describe the measurement of the beam intensity on ground by the power detectors of three ground stations in parallel, exemplarily for one specific downlink. From this data we derive the instantaneous center of gravity of the beam spot, and its dynamic movement during the downlink. By comparison with the satellite’s own recorded attitude data and its error, the dynamic offset to be corrected on the satellite can be calculated, resulting in optimized pointing-control for future operational open-loop downlinks

Lignin-based polyurethane materials

Four technical lignins (Alcell, Indulin AT, Sarkanda and Curan 27-11P) were used as macromonomers in the synthesis of polyurethane materials following two global approaches. In the first one Alcell and Indulin AT lignins were used directly as co-monomers in combination with a linear polycaprolactone (PCL) in order to produce polyurethane elastomers where lignin content varied between 10 and 25% (w/w) with respect to polyol mixture (PCL+lignin). The thermomechanical properties of the resulting materials were determined by dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and swelling tests. In lignin-based elastomers Indulin AT showed to be more efficiently incorporated in the polyurethane network compared with Alcell lignin. Elastomers prepared with Indulin AT lignin exhibited a cross-linking density and storage modulus (rubbery plateau) higher than those of Alcell lignin-based counterpart and a lower soluble fraction. For both Alcell and Indulin AT based elastomers the glass transition temperature increased and extended over a wide temperature range with the increase of lignin content. The second approach consisted of producing rigid polyurethane foams (RPU) using ligninbased polyols obtained after chemical modification by an oxypropylation procedure. Two polyol formulations (20/80 and 30/70, in what concerns the weight ratios between lignin and propylene oxide, PO), were used in RPU formulations and their content varied from 0 to 100% (w/w with respect to a commercial polyol, used as a reference). The resulting RPU foams were characterized in terms of density, mechanical properties, conductivity and morphology. The prepared RPU foams with lignin-based polyols presented properties, very similar to those obtained from conventional commercial polyols. RPU foams prepared with 30/70 polyols exhibited improved properties comparatively to those arising from 20/80 formulations. Exceptions were however detected in RPU foams prepared with all Sarkanda lignin based polyols and Curan 27-11P 30/70 formulation, which were found to be inadequate for RPU formulation

Novel octaketide macrolides related to 6-deoxyerythronolide B provide evidence for iterative operation of the erythromycin polyketide synthase

AbstractBackground: The macrolide antibiotic erythromycin A, like other complex aliphatic polyketides, is synthesised by a bacterial modular polyketide synthase (PKS). Such PKSs, in contrast to other fatty acid and polyketide synthases which work iteratively, contain a separate set or module of enzyme activities for each successive cycle of polyketide chain extension, and the number and type of modules together determine the structure of the polyketide product. Thus, the six extension modules of the erythromycin PKS (DEBS) together catalyse the production of the specific heptaketide 6-deoxyerythronolide B.Results: A mutant strain of the erythromycin producer Saccharopolyspora erythraea, which accumulates the aglycone intermediate erythronolide B, was found unexpectedly to produce two novel octaketides, both 16-membered macrolides. These compounds were detectable in fermentation broths of wild-type S. erythraea, but not in a strain from which the DEBS genes had been specifically deleted. From their structures, both of these octaketides appear to be aberrant products of DEBS in which module 4 has ‘stuttered’, that is, has catalysed two successive cycles of chain extension.Conclusions: The isolation of novel DEBS-derived octaketides provides the first evidence that an extension module in a modular PKS has the potential to catalyse iterative rounds of chain elongation like other type I FAS and PKS systems. The factors governing the extent of such ‘stuttering’ remain to be determined