Cubesat Attitude Control System based on embedded magnetorquers in photovoltaic panels

Abstract

The use of magnetic actuation in order to stabilize and control a small 1U Cubesat is studied and analyzed, as a required step for the development of the future university satellite GranaSAT-I. This thesis gather crucial theoretical contents concerning the attitude control of a satellite in an orbit below 500 km, where the International Space Station is able to deploy nano-satellites. Moreover, these contents have been implemented in a MATLAB simulator. One stabilizing control law has been succesfully tested with this tool, and two different control algorithms have shown partial success when a 3-axis control has been required. In parallel, an autonomous Cubesat prototype has been manufactured in the GranaSAT Laboratory. The stabilizing algorithm has been implemented on the onboard computer. Telemetry data during tests reflect an adequate performance of the prototype.