Attitude control research with educational nanosatellites

This paper introduces the three-axis attitude control of the ESAT platform. ESAT is a modular nanosatellite that implements the popular 10x10x10 cm CubeSat standard, designed for hands-on learning at different educational levels as well as professional training. ESAT features the full set of characteristic spacecraft subsystems (power, on-board data handling, attitude control, communications, and payload). The satellite can be disassembled to focus on each subsystem, one at a time, or used all together, and features a flexible ground segment. Courses using the ESAT platform are imparted in our university, as part of the last year of the master’s degree in Aerospace engineering, and in other institutions like the ESA Academy. They cover aspects ranging from subsystems design to testing and spacecraft operations. In addition, the platform is used in master’s thesis and research activities. Although the version that is currently being used in the courses allows only one-axis attitude control, the ESAT is in continuous development and two prototypes of the satellite have already been developed that allow three-axis control based on reaction wheels and/or magnetorquers, which is essential for the testing and verification of attitude determination and control algorithms. For this purpose, the ground support equipment has also been updated to be able to carry out the turns in three axes, with the development of new testbeds and a complete magnetic field simulator. The present work aims to show the new three-axis platform designs and its main functionalitie

Experimental comparison of attitude controllers for nanosatellites

Nowadays, the attitude controllers based on artificial intelligence are being designed giving very good results compared with classical controllers. However, the performance comparisons made until now have been based on numerical simulations, being necessary experimental data and on-board tests. In this work, a PID and a Fuzzy-logic based controllers have been developed for an educational nanosatellite (ESAT). Through the intensive use of the ESAT we have tested and compared the performance from an experimental point of view. Four performance indexes (accuracy, cost, stability and robustness) have been used to quantify the performance of each controller

Diseño concurrente de una misión espacial como reto educativo UPM Concurrent Engineering Challenge

Este proyecto de Innovación Educativa, liderado desde la ETSIAE y desarrollado en colaboración con otras Universidades, ha promovido la organización del UPM Concurrent Engineering Challenge (Reto de Diseño Concurrente de la UPM). El proyecto pretende combinar el Aprendizaje Basado en Retos (ABR) y el Diseño Concurrente en el ámbito de la Ingeniería Aeroespacial, en particular, de la Ingeniería de Sistemas y diseño Preliminar de Vehículos Espaciales. Como reto educativo, se propone el diseño preliminar de una misión espacial sujeto a un documento de requisitos. El diseño se realizará a lo largo del curso bajo la supervisión del profesorado, colaborativa y paralelamente con otras Universidades, y utilizando una herramienta de diseño concurrente