Attitude Determination and Control of ARKSAT-1

Author

Jared Gilliam, University of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow

Date of Graduation

12-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Huang, Po-Hao Adam

Committee Member

Roe, Larry A.

Abstract

ARKSAT-1 is a nanosatellite developed at the University of Arkansas as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). The goal of ARKSAT-1 is to utilize an LED emitter paired with a ground-based tracking system to perform measurements of the composition of the atmosphere using spectroscopy. As part of its function, it is imperative that the satellite is able to control its orientation so that the emitter is aligned as closely as possible with the ground tracker. To do this, the attitude control system of ARKSAT-1 uses magnetic actuators to create a torque on the satellite by interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. Several variations of a B-Dot control algorithm were investigated for controlling the magnetic torquers based on magnetic field and angular velocity measurements as well as satellite position and magnetic field model data. The selected controllers were implemented in MATLAB and simulated to demonstrate their effectiveness for detumbling and pointing of the satellite.

Citation

Gilliam, J. (2020). Attitude Determination and Control of ARKSAT-1. Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/meeguht/97