University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A novel magnetic field approach to simulate spacecraft attitude determination and control

Haddox, Patrick

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Patrick_Haddox.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/49696

Description

Title
A novel magnetic field approach to simulate spacecraft attitude determination and control
Author(s)
Haddox, Patrick
Issue Date
2014-05-30T17:05:18Z
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Coverstone, Victoria L.
Department of Study
Aerospace Engineering
Discipline
Aerospace Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Date of Ingest
2014-05-30T17:05:18Z
Keyword(s)
  • attitude
  • determination
  • control
  • magnetic field
  • Helmholtz coil
  • Helmholtz cage
  • cubesat
  • nanosatellite
  • satellite
  • spacecraft
  • systems toolkit (STK)
  • LabVIEW
Abstract
The University of Illinois is developing a CubeSat bus, known as IlliniSat-2, which will be capable of achieving 3-axis attitude control via magnetic torque coils and attitude determination via Kalman-filtered magnetometer data with an optional Sun vector measurement. This innovative new attitude determination and control (ADC) method is more sophisticated than those traditionally employed on CubeSats and will require extensive pre-flight testing to ensure that IlliniSat-2 functions properly after it is launched. To accommodate such testing, a hardware-in-the-loop ADC simulation suite, known as CubeSim, is being developed. CubeSim uses a large triaxial Helmholtz coil, known as the HC3, to dynamically manipulate the magnetic field around a CubeSat to simulate an orbital environment. In the case of an IlliniSat-2 bus, the HC3 testbed allows the CubeSat to determine its attitude in real-time. CubeSim will also receive control feedback from the CubeSat and update the simulated attitude accordingly. This thesis will discuss the development of CubeSim, including the theory and design of the HC3 and the associated software interfaces. Results from initial simulations and testing will be presented and the path for future work will be discussed.
Graduation Semester
2014-05
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/49696
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2014 Patrick Haddox

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