Attitude control system of a satellite

• Main Author: Tan, Chin Sian
• Other Authors: Low Kay Soon
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/61969
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The United States Air Force Academy developed EyasSat3, a more robust, flight-representative hardware and software design that conforms to the CubeSat standard to serve as a platform for space education and training for the next decade.1 This low-cost educational satellite that mimics the functionality of full-scale satellites allows students and other untrained personnel to work safely with inexpensive flight hardware and thus enabling learning space by doing space. Solar radiation sensors have played an important role in attitude control, attitude determination, and the generation of switching and timing signals in a large number of spacecrafts.2 Over the years, much development have been done to address the issues pertaining to the reliability and accuracy of sun sensors. With the importance of sun sensors in spacecraft missions and objectives, it proves to be a valuable field of learning in astronautics. With the main objective of EyasSat3 being to strike a balance between cost and a unique hands-on learning experience for the students, photocell sensors are incorporated into the system for the purpose of education on attitude control and determination. The attitude determination and control system of every satellite plays an important role by detecting the orientation of the spacecraft relative to reference points, orientating, and stabilizing the spacecraft in desired directions for it to perform its tasks. With the development of an interface between MATLAB and EyasSat3, modelling of EyasSat3 subsystems in Simulink, students will be able to implement control systems through software for the plant. Incorporating this into their astronautics courses will encourage students to understand, appreciate, and learn the practical uses of their theoretical knowledge.