Use of New Developments of Attitude Control Sensors for the Micro-Satellite Flying Laptop
- Paper number
IAC-06-C1.P.2.04
- Author
Mr. Christian Waidmann, University of Stuttgart, Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Georg Grillmayer, University of Stuttgart, Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Dominik Saile, University of Stuttgart, Germany
- Coauthor
Mr. Matthias Waidmann, University of Stuttgart, Germany
- Coauthor
Mrs. Viola Wolter, Steinbeis Transferzentrum Raumfahrt, Germany
- Year
2006
- Abstract
Currently the Institute of Space Systems (IRS) at the University of Stuttgart is in the implementation phase of its first micro-satellite Flying Laptop. Within the scope of the small satellite program of the IRS the Flying Laptop is the first satellite in a consecutive series of small spacecraft. The Flying Laptop with it’s primary mission objectives being technology demonstration is developed and built by faculty, PhD/master students and in cooperation with the industry. Several new developments are conducted and will be flown for the first time. This paper provides an outline of the used attitude control hardware sensors and actuators and focuses on the GPS System.
The GENIUS (GPS Enhanced NavIgation system for the University of Stuttgart microsatellite) system was developed as an experiment for accurate determination of the spacecraft attitude. As a novelty, all receivers are driven by an ultra-stable 10 MHz crystal oscillator on-board the Flying Laptop. Raw code and carrier phase measurements will be recorded and dumped during ground station contacts for off-line analysis. Each Phoenix GPS receiver is connected to a separate GPS antenna and low noise amplifier. The antennas are placed on three corners of the satellite in an L-like arrangement. By synchronizing the reference oscillators of three receivers to a single ultra stable source the accuracy of attitude determination can be increased leading to real-time position, velocity and timing information with envisaged accuracies of 10 m, 0.1 m/s and 1 µs. This experiment is conducted in cooperation with the German Space Operations Center (DLR/GSOC). The Phoenix receiver is a commercial GPS receiver board with a new developed firmware for space and high dynamics applications. The receiver boards and the interface board were integrated in a common aluminum housing. An interface board handling the data buses and power lines of the three receivers was developed. The hardware design has been completed at the present stage and the assembly and testing will be conducted within the coming months.
- Abstract document