Testing methodologies for magnetic adcs in low budget satellite projects. Application to upmsat-2

Resumo

The present research work consists of the description of the work carried out within the framework of the UPMSat-2 project related to its attitude determination and control subsystem, ADCS. The methodologies used for the acceptance and integration of the ADCS sensors and actuators, considering that the means available for a didactic project such as UPMSat-2 are reduced. The UPMSat-2 ADCS is purely magnetic and consists of two magnetometers and three magnetorquers. This work includes methodologies to undertake the sensors and actuators acceptance tests and ADCS robustness tests of the ADCS facing magnetometer and magnetorquer errors. In addition a study to find the simplest and most robust method to calibrate the magnetometers once integrated in the satellite was conducted, considering the electrical noise that could be introduced during calibration tests and the constraints in movement of the satellite. The method that was found to have the best performance in dealing with these constraints is the one used to find the new calibration of the ADCS sensors.