Stereoscopic Meteor Observation: Determining Satellite Bus and Formation Parameters Requirements

The Institute of Space Systems (IRS) of the University of Stuttgart and the TU Berlin are planning a mission to observe meteors and dust particles using a formation of two small satellites. In this paper, we analyse the formation and satellite parameters to optimize the scientific output of the meteor observation. The stereoscopic observation of meteors allows calculating the corresponding meteor trajectory. The potential output of a meteor observation strongly depends on the configuration of the satellite formation (orbit, satellite distance) and the satellite bus parameters (knowledge of satellite position and attitude). Therefore, a simulation, based on the trajectory algorithm of the Meteor Orbit and Trajectory Determination Software (MOTS), is conducted, in order to calculate the accuracy of the meteor trajectory depending on those parameters. Furthermore, different meteor properties are taken into account to evaluate the influence on the accuracy of the calculated trajectory. According to our simulations, the satellite attitude knowledge has a huge influence on the trajectory accuracy, while the position knowledge is less relevant. Furthermore, the simulation allows calculating the ideal satellite distance with a minimal trajectory error for a specific orbit. The trajectory error is ~200 m, when typical errors on satellite position and attitude knowledge (7”) are used

An Automated Constellation Design & Mission Analysis Tool for Finding the Cheapest Mission Architecture

Identifying the optimal mission architecture for a space mission is critical for mission success, especially for large constellations. Here, optimizing the entire mission architecture for cost is necessary for the business case to work. This paper presents an automated system that combines constellation design and mission analysis functions in the context of a distributed engineering environment. It utilizes analytical methods, commercial simulation software and other specialized tools to identify multiple eligible constellations for the user-defined case, perform the associated mission analysis tasks, and provide input for additional tools like cost estimation software to eventually identify the optimal constellation. This allows assessing more options to fulfill the mission in less time, establishing the benefits of each constellation analyzed, and also allows non-expert users to quickly understand and evaluate consequences of design or requirement changes

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

Meteor observation with the SOURCE CubeSat – Developing a simulation to test on-board meteor detection algorithms

The scientific mission objectives of the Stuttgart Operated University Research CubeSat for Evaluation and Education are meteor observation, measurement of the lower Earth's atmosphere during re-entry as well as technology demonstrations. The meteor observation is done by pointing a camera towards Earth and continuously taking images during Eclipse. Since it is not possible to downlink all images, an on-board detection algorithm is necessary and mission critical. Therefore, this algorithm needs to be tested thoroughly. Realistic test data showing meteors from orbit is needed to properly develop and test the algorithm. Existing videos, provided by the Planetary Exploration Research Center, captured from the ISS are used as a baseline but are not sufficient to test the algorithm. The videos do not have the diversity of meteors needed and the meteor properties are not settable which makes it difficult to test the detection algorithm in as many scenarios as possible. Therefore, an artificial meteor program was developed to simulate meteors with given properties as perceived from a meteor observation system in a low Earth orbit. Here, we present the details of the artificial meteor program, its working principle and how we tested an algorithm for meteor detection. The user can choose between different background videos, the existing ISS videos from PERC or the self-generated videos. Each different background is used to test a different aspect of the meteor detection algorithm. The ISS videos from PERC provide more diverse backgrounds than the self-generated videos with e.g., clouds and lightning. For these self-generated videos, a program is developed to take image sections of NASA’s Black Marble and putting them frame by frame together into a video. These videos are more suitable for simulating satellite rotation and camera properties. Independent of the background video, settable meteor properties contain important characteristics of a meteor like the light curve, brightness, speed, direction and shape. Additionally, the user can choose the meteor position in the video frame, in which frame it appears and which distance it covers. Furthermore, distortion settings can be applied which contain airplanes with adjustable parameters and scalable noise. Only a properly working meteor detection algorithm leads to a success of a mission critical part of the SOURCE CubeSat. Therefore, the development of this artificial meteor generation program is crucial. Furthermore, this technology demonstration of developing and especially testing a meteor detection algorithm will enable future space-based missions for meteor observation

Development and testing of the 3U+ CubeSat PCDU for SOURCE

SOURCE (Stuttgart Operated University CubeSat for Evaluation and Education) is a 3U+ re-search CubeSat that is being developed by students at the University of Stuttgart in coopera-tion with the Institute for Space Systems and the Small Satellite Student Society KSat e.V.. The objectives include technology demonstrations, atmospheric research and the investigation of satellite demise while also serving as an educational program. SOURCE was selected by ESA's "Fly your Satellite" program and is currently in Phase D. The electrical power supply system combines commercial off-the-shelf parts with self-devel-oped units to meet the requirements of the payloads. The solar array configuration and Power Conditioning and Distribution Unit (PCDU) are self-developed, while the battery is a commer-cial product. A total of 56 solar cells provides up to 32W under ideal conditions, which can be stored in a 75Wh space-qualified lithium-ion battery. To maximise the power output of the solar cells, maximum power point tracking is performed by the PCDU. This is controlled by a radiation hardened microcontroller. The PCDU provides regulated 3.3V, 5V and unregulated battery voltage to the subsystems with 32 switchable outputs, 27 of which are latch-up current protected. The microcontroller controls these individual output channels and the switching between the various CubeSat modes as commanded by the on-board computer. Additionally, every output channel power consumption is monitored for overcurrents. The PCDU functions as a watchdog by checking the health of the on-board computer, rebooting it in case of a failure. High priority commands can be sent directly to the PCDU from the ground via the communication system, bypassing the on-board computer. These can reset either the communication subsystem, the on-board computer or the entire satellite. Four hybrid inhibits, using a combination of mechanical switches and FETs are integrated in the PCDU, replacing the usual fully mechanical design. Three are used to deactivate the satellite in the deployer configuration and the fourth is a remove-before-flight inhibit. An engineering model was manufactured during phase C and is being tested functionally, en-vironmentally and for performance. This paper presents the detailed design of the PCDU, the acquired test results and outlines issues encountered during the test

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

Operations System vs. Operating System: Towards a Ground System Supporting Satellite Application Programming

The term operating system refers to a software component, which traditionally controls the resources and the processes of a computer, and by providing the appropriate interfaces allows for the implementation of custom user applications. This is a common definition, working very well for ordinary computer systems. Yet, what if the operating system and a corresponding application are physically separated, because the computer is within a satellite in space, while the user program is executed on ground? Then, capabilities must be created to connect both, which is of course complicated by the natural boundaries in satellite communication, for example the limited satellite contact times. Over the past decades, several systems have been developed, which are capable of managing satellite resources and the mission schedule from ground. Although this covers quite well the purpose of an operating system, other terms have evolved in this domain: operations system, ground system, mission control system, ground data handling, etc. The problem though is, those systems primarily focus on the exchange of data and satellite TM/TC, rather than the actual control process. This creates an artificial barrier between ground and space, which harms the development capabilities for ground based satellite applications. This paper introduces a novel approach for an operations system architecture, which can be considered as a ground extension of the satellite’s operating system. This approach shall not break with the existing conventions and definitions, especially in terms of operating systems, but shall introduce a new view on satellite operations. In a layered, functional software architecture, the operating system is the lowest layer between the hardware and the application. Through the definition of the appropriate interfaces in the ground system, a software architecture can be created that actively supports outsourcing parts of the satellite control process to ground. The proposed approach has great potential for various applications in satellite operations. It supports the implementation of automatic system control processes, the implementation of custom payload applications, and the integration of respective activities into the satellite schedule. As applications and operators interact with a verified schedule, and operations is thus no longer limited to low-level commanding, the approach further reduces the risk of the mission being jeopardized by human mistake

Design and development of the re-entry sensor system for the CubeSat mission SOURCE

With the number of man-made objects being launched into orbit steadily increasing, space debris is one of the big challenges for future space flight. In order to better assess the danger to humans on Earth’s surface, re-entry should be researched in more detail. SOURCE serves as a 3U+ satellite platform designed and developed by the small satellite student society (KSat e.V.) and the Institute of Space Systems (IRS) at the University of Stuttgart. It was selected by ESA in 2020 to be part of the ‘Fly your Satellite’ program, has successfully completed the CDR and is currently preparing for the MRR. SOURCE’s objectives are education, verification of several cost-saving, not yet space-proven technologies for orbital use, capturing images of meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere and documenting its own demise during re-entry by analysing atomic oxygen, heat flux- and pressure data. In order to receive data for as long as possible during re-entry, the satellite switches from S-band to Iridium (inter-satellite link) communication at an altitude below 200 km. For the in-situ measurement during the re-entry, SOURCE is equipped with two Flux-Phi-Probe (FIPEX) sensors for the measurement of atomic oxygen and five additional sensor arrays. Each array contains one pressure sensor and two heat flux sensors, one commercial and one developed by the IRS. The arrays are placed at five positions in-line across the satellite to reduce effects of tumbling during the re-entry and to allow for the measurement of gradients. For a first estimation of the expected value ranges, simulations were performed with the software PICLas, developed by the IRS and the Institute of Aero-and Gas Dynamics (IAG) at the University of Stuttgart. In an iterative process, the collected data will be used to further improve this simulation software after the re-entry of the SOURCE satellite. The aim of this paper is to describe the design philosophy and development process of the sensor readout electronics. The tests carried out are presented and the first results are presented

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