ESTCube-1 asendi määramine

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.Uuring viidi läbi Tartu Ülikoolis, Tartu Observatooriumis, Soome Meteoroloogia instituudis ja Eesti tudengisatelliidi programmis. Doktoritöös tutvustatakse satelliidi ESTCube-1 asendi määramise süsteemi, mille otstarve on satelliidi orientatsiooni kindlakstegemine erinevate taustsüsteemide suhtes. ESTCube-1 on ehitatud vastavalt CubeSat standardi nõuetele (≈ 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm) ja saadeti orbiidile 2013. aasta mais, kus see tegutses kuni 2015. aasta maini. Selle põhimissiooniks oli katsetada Maa orbiidil elektrilise päikesepurje tehnoloogiaid. Elektriline päikesetuulepuri on uudne Päikesesüsteemis liikumise moodus, mis kasutab tõukejõu saamiseks Päikeselt väljapursatavate elektriliselt laetud osakeste voogu ehk päikesetuult. ESTCube-1 asendi määramise süsteemi põhieesmärgiks on leida satelliidi orientatsioon parema täpsusega kui 2° järgmiste tegevuste jaoks: satelliidi suure kiirusega pöörlema panemisel (sajad kraadid sekundis) tsentrifugaaljõu abil purje väljakerimiseks ja selle protsessi jälgimiseks, päikesepurje elektrilisel laadimisel sünkroonis satelliidi pöörlemisega ning mõõtmaks nurkkiiruse muutumist laetud päikesepurje ja ionosfääri plasma vahelise elektrostaatiline jõu tulemusel. Asendi määramise süsteem koosneb magnetomeetridest, nurkkiiruseanduritest ja Päikese suuna anduritest. Maa magnetvälja ja Päikese asukoha mudeleid kasutati vastavate andurite mõõtmistega võrdlemiseks. Asendi määramiseks kasutati Kalmani filtrit. Süsteem karakteriseeriti laboratooriumis ja simulatsioonidega enne starti. Orbiidil parendati süsteemi oluliselt tarkvara uuenduste ja uuesti karakteriseerimisega. Sõltumatuks valideerimiseks kasutati satellidi poolt tehtud fotodel põhinevat orientatsiooni leidmise meetodit. Süsteemi karakteriseerimise ja valideerimisega näidati, et asendi määramise täpsus on parem kui 1,75° mis täidab eksperimendi poolt seatud nõudeid.This research was carried out at the University of Tartu, Tartu Observatory, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the Estonian Student Satellite Programme. This thesis presents the ESTCube-1 attitude determination system. The attitude is the satellite's orientation is space. ESTCube-1 is a satellite built according to the one-unit CubeSat standard (≈ 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm). The satellite was launched in May 2013 and operated until May 2015. The main scientific mission of ESTCube-1 was to perform the first in-orbit electric solar wind sail demonstration. The electric solar wind sail is a propellantless propulsion technology concept. The sail consists of long, thin, centrifugally stretched and positively charged tethers that deflect charged particles in the solar wind, hence generate spacecraft thrust. The main requirement of the ESTCube-1 attitude determination system is to determine the attitude with an accuracy better than 2° for the following purposes: high rate spin control (hundreds of degrees per second) for centrifugal tether deployment; monitoring of tether deployment; to trigger the charging of the tether in synchronisation with the satellite spin; to measure angular velocity changes caused by the Coulomb drag interaction between the charged tether and the surrounding ionospheric plasma. The attitude determination system has Sun sensors, magnetometers and gyroscopic sensors. A geomagnetic field model and a Sun position model were used to reference the respective sensor measurements. A Kalman filter was used to estimate the attitude. Before the launch, the system was characterised in the laboratory and by simulations. With in-orbit recalibration and validation, the system was significantly improved. For validation, an independent attitude determined from on-board images was used. By characterising and validating the system, it was shown that attitude determination accuracy is better than 1.75°, hence fulfils the requirement set by the electric solar wind sail experiment.

Anti-Windup Compensator Approach to Nanosatellite Fault Tolerant Architecture

Anti-windup (AW) compensator in this study is designed to work with control systems experiencing actuator saturation. While working with an existing controller, the AW compensator prevents degradation in performance during saturation and enhances the system to perform optimally after saturation. In addition, the fault tolerant capability of a proposed integrated fault tolerant architecture is studied with the AW compensator

Optical Periscopic Imager for Comets (OPIC) Instrument for the Planned Comet Interceptor Mission

This poster presents an update on the development of the Optical Periscopic Imager for Comets (OPIC) instrument [1], which will be hosted on one of three spacecraft making up the Comet Interceptor ESA-JAXA mission [2]. OPIC is a compact ( \u3c 0.5 kg) monochromic camera for taking images of the nucleus and coma of either a long-period or dynamically new comet, or an interstellar object for mapping, reconstruction and localisation purposes. The camera will operate in a harsh environment with continuous dust impacts throughout its multi-day operation; therefore, the instrument is equipped with a periscope, which protects optics from high-velocity impacts. The probe is spin-stabilised at 4-15 RPM and will be parked in Lagrange point L2 (launched with ARIEL telescope) and depart at a suitable time to intercept a target at velocity 10-70 km/s. The closest approach is approximately 400 km

Verification of Tether Deployment System aboard CubeSat through Dynamics Simulations and Tests

This paper proposes a proper model selection strategies for the dynamic simulations of the tether deployment mission aboard a CubeSat. Space tether technology will enable innovative space missions in the near future. The Coulomb Drag Propulsion (CDP), including electric solar wind sailing, is one of the plausible future technologies. The authors currently develop a CubeSat, FORESAIL-1, for space demonstration of CDP. However, the analytical simulations for the verification and validation of the mission design typically require a high computational cost. This is because a minimum model order is not selected properly. In this study, through observing a preliminary analytical model for tether deployment analysis, the simplest model is chosen to avoid the mission failure modes in each deployment phase.Peer reviewe

Particle telescope aboard FORESAIL-1 : Simulated performance

The Particle Telescope (PATE) of FORESAIL-1 mission is described. FORESAIL-1 is a CubeSat mission to polar Low Earth Orbit. Its scientific objectives are to characterize electron precipitation from the radiation belts and to observe energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) originating from the Sun during the strongest solar flares. For that purpose, the 3-unit CubeSat carries a particle telescope that measures energetic electrons in the nominal energy range of 80–800 keV in seven energy channels and energetic protons at 0.3–10 MeV in ten channels. In addition, particles penetrating the whole telescope at higher energies will be measured in three channels: one >800 keV electron channel, two integral proton channels at >10 MeV energies. The instrument contains two telescopes at right angles to each other, one measuring along the spin axis of the spacecraft and one perpendicular to it. During a spin period (nominally 15 s), the rotating telescope will, thus, deliver angular distributions of protons and electrons, at 11.25-degree clock-angle resolution, which enables one to accurately determine the pitch-angle distribution and separate the trapped and precipitating particles. During the last part of the mission, the rotation axis will be accurately pointed toward the Sun, enabling the measurement of the energetic hydrogen from that direction. Using the geomagnetic field as a filter and comparing the rates observed by the two telescopes, the instrument can observe the solar ENA flux for events similar to the only one so far observed in December 2006. We present the Geant4-simulated energy and angular response functions of the telescope and assess its sensitivity showing that they are adequate to address the scientific objectives of the mission.The Particle Telescope (PATE) of FORESAIL-1 mission is described. FORESAIL-1 is a CubeSat mission to polar Low Earth Orbit. Its scientific objectives are to characterize electron precipitation from the radiation belts and to observe energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) originating from the Sun during the strongest solar flares. For that purpose, the 3-unit CubeSat carries a particle telescope that measures energetic electrons in the nominal energy range of 80-800 keV in seven energy channels and energetic protons at 0.3-10 MeV in ten channels. In addition, particles penetrating the whole telescope at higher energies will be measured in three channels: one >800 keV electron channel, two integral proton channels at >10 MeV energies. The instrument contains two telescopes at right angles to each other, one measuring along the spin axis of the spacecraft and one perpendicular to it. During a spin period (nominally 15 s), the rotating telescope will, thus, deliver angular distributions of protons and electrons, at 11.25-degree clock-angle resolution, which enables one to accurately determine the pitch-angle distribution and separate the trapped and precipitating particles. During the last part of the mission, the rotation axis will be accurately pointed toward the Sun, enabling the measurement of the energetic hydrogen from that direction. Using the geomagnetic field as a filter and comparing the rates observed by the two telescopes, the instrument can observe the solar ENA flux for events similar to the only one so far observed in December 2006. We present the Geant4-simulated energy and angular response functions of the telescope and assess its sensitivity showing that they are adequate to address the scientific objectives of the mission. (C) 2019 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Particle telescope aboard FORESAIL-1: Simulated performance

The Particle Telescope (PATE) of FORESAIL-1 mission is described. FORESAIL-1 is a CubeSat mission to polar Low Earth Orbit. Its scientific objectives are to characterize electron precipitation from the radiation belts and to observe energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) originating from the Sun during the strongest solar flares. For that purpose, the 3-unit CubeSat carries a particle telescope that measures energetic electrons in the nominal energy range of 80–800 keV in seven energy channels and energetic protons at 0.3–10 MeV in ten channels. In addition, particles penetrating the whole telescope at higher energies will be measured in three channels: one >800 keV electron channel, two integral proton channels at >10 MeV energies. The instrument contains two telescopes at right angles to each other, one measuring along the spin axis of the spacecraft and one perpendicular to it. During a spin period (nominally 15 s), the rotating telescope will, thus, deliver angular distributions of protons and electrons, at 11.25-degree clock-angle resolution, which enables one to accurately determine the pitch-angle distribution and separate the trapped and precipitating particles. During the last part of the mission, the rotation axis will be accurately pointed toward the Sun, enabling the measurement of the energetic hydrogen from that direction. Using the geomagnetic field as a filter and comparing the rates observed by the two telescopes, the instrument can observe the solar ENA flux for events similar to the only one so far observed in December 2006. We present the Geant4-simulated energy and angular response functions of the telescope and assess its sensitivity showing that they are adequate to address the scientific objectives of the mission

Coulomb drag propulsion experiments of ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1

This paper presents two technology experiments – the plasma brake for deorbiting and the electric solar wind sail for interplanetary propulsion – on board the ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1 satellites. Since both technologies employ the Coulomb interaction between a charged tether and a plasma flow, they are commonly referred to as Coulomb drag propulsion. The plasma brake operates in the ionosphere, where a negatively charged tether deorbits a satellite. The electric sail operates in the solar wind, where a positively charged tether propels a spacecraft, while an electron emitter removes trapped electrons. Both satellites will be launched in low Earth orbit carrying nearly identical Coulomb drag propulsion experiments, with the main difference being that ESTCube-2 has an electron emitter and it can operate in the positive mode. While solar-wind sailing is not possible in low Earth orbit, ESTCube-2 will space-qualify the components necessary for future electric sail experiments in its authentic environment. The plasma brake can be used on a range of satellite mass classes and orbits. On nanosatellites, the plasma brake is an enabler of deorbiting – a 300-m-long tether fits within half a cubesat unit, and, when charged with -1 kV, can deorbit a 4.5-kg satellite from between a 700- and 500-km altitude in approximately 9–13 months. This paper provides the design and detailed analysis of low-Earth-orbit experiments, as well as the overall mission design of ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1.Peer reviewe

Coulomb drag propulsion experiments of ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1

This paper presents two technology experiments – the plasma brake for deorbiting and the electric solar wind sail for interplanetary propulsion – on board the ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1 satellites. Since both technologies employ the Coulomb interaction between a charged tether and a plasma flow, they are commonly referred to as Coulomb drag propulsion. The plasma brake operates in the ionosphere, where a negatively charged tether deorbits a satellite. The electric sail operates in the solar wind, where a positively charged tether propels a spacecraft, while an electron emitter removes trapped electrons. Both satellites will be launched in low Earth orbit carrying nearly identical Coulomb drag propulsion experiments, with the main difference being that ESTCube-2 has an electron emitter and it can operate in the positive mode. While solar-wind sailing is not possible in low Earth orbit, ESTCube-2 will space-qualify the components necessary for future electric sail experiments in its authentic environment. The plasma brake can be used on a range of satellite mass classes and orbits. On nanosatellites, the plasma brake is an enabler of deorbiting – a 300-m-long tether fits within half a cubesat unit, and, when charged with - 1 kV, can deorbit a 4.5-kg satellite from between a 700- and 500-km altitude in approximately 9–13 months. This paper provides the design and detailed analysis of low-Earth-orbit experiments, as well as the overall mission design of ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1.</p

The Comet Interceptor Mission

Here we describe the novel, multi-point Comet Interceptor mission. It is dedicated to the exploration of a little-processed long-period comet, possibly entering the inner Solar System for the first time, or to encounter an interstellar object originating at another star. The objectives of the mission are to address the following questions: What are the surface composition, shape, morphology, and structure of the target object? What is the composition of the gas and dust in the coma, its connection to the nucleus, and the nature of its interaction with the solar wind? The mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2018, and formally adopted by the agency in June 2022, for launch in 2029 together with the Ariel mission. Comet Interceptor will take advantage of the opportunity presented by ESA’s F-Class call for fast, flexible, low-cost missions to which it was proposed. The call required a launch to a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. The mission can take advantage of this placement to wait for the discovery of a suitable comet reachable with its minimum ΔV capability of 600 ms−1. Comet Interceptor will be unique in encountering and studying, at a nominal closest approach distance of 1000 km, a comet that represents a near-pristine sample of material from the formation of the Solar System. It will also add a capability that no previous cometary mission has had, which is to deploy two sub-probes – B1, provided by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and B2 – that will follow different trajectories through the coma. While the main probe passes at a nominal 1000 km distance, probes B1 and B2 will follow different chords through the coma at distances of 850 km and 400 km, respectively. The result will be unique, simultaneous, spatially resolved information of the 3-dimensional properties of the target comet and its interaction with the space environment. We present the mission’s science background leading to these objectives, as well as an overview of the scientific instruments, mission design, and schedule