Development of nano-satellite : an automated instrumentation for testing of a nano-satellite

• Main Author: Dhika Satria Pratyangga
• Other Authors: Low Kay Soon
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Satellite telecommunication
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/45530
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

A first Singapore‟s Nano-Satellite, VELOX-I is currently being built by Nanyang Technological University. This multi-mission Nano-Satellite has to be ensured working well before launching the Nano-Satellite to the space. Hence, VELOX-I has to undergo integrated system testing and every subsystem inside VELOX-I has to be tested carefully. In this project, automated instrumentations for evaluating performance of VELOX-I integrated system and for testing of two subsystems; Power Supply System (PSS) and sun sensor have been developed to examine VELOX-I performance. Throughout integrated system testing, there are three important aspects that are needed to be evaluated; voltage, current, and temperature. Therefore, by developing precise voltage, current, and temperature sensors, integrated system testing of VELOX-I can be simulated successfully in laboratory environment. PSS is very critical subsystem which manages power supply from solar panel and battery to VELOX-I, so VELOX-I PSS has to be tested thoroughly. PSS test instruments consist of two solar array simulator (SAS) which simulate output power of solar panel as input of PSS subsystem, four channel of electronic load which simulates four different loading powers of different subsystems, and data acquisition to obtain system data from the simulation. In the experiment, system efficiency of PSS with MPPT is around 87% during eclipse phase and it is varying from 58% to 72% during sunlight phase. Sun sensor is one of the Altitude Determination Control System used in VELOX-I. VELOX-I uses two sun sensors which determine the satellite‟s orientation relative to the sun. It has to be tested comprehensively. VELOX-I sun sensor test instruments consist of one sun light simulator which simulates sun light having intensity exactly the same as sun light, two-axes motor which simulates satellite‟s rotation that can be determine precisely by the user, and data acquisition to obtain system data from the simulation. The data will then be analyzed to determine performance of VELOX-I sun sensors.