Attitude Determination & Control

Lead: Sebastian Gasche

The Attitude Determination and Control (ADC) subsection focuses on configuring and managing the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) and the Orbit Determination System (ODS) for TRACE. By integrating these systems, we can accurately determine TRACE's attitude and position. Depending on the current mission phase, the ADCS controls TRACE's orientation to perform mission-critical maneuvers, such as pointing an experimental payload toward a desired target, adjusting the orientation for optimal battery charging, or improving communication conditions.

What is an ADCS?

The ADCS is vital for most satellite missions, managing the satellite's attitude to achieve mission objectives. This includes ensuring accurate data acquisition, precise maneuvering, effective power generation, and robust communication. The ADCS uses sensors such as gyroscopes, magnetometers, and sun/earth/star sensors to determine the satellite's attitude. Actuators such as reaction wheels, magnetorquers, and thrusters then adjust the satellite's orientation as needed.

What is an ODS?

The ODS of a satellite typically employs a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to accurately calculate the satellite's orbital position based on received signals from GNSS satellites. The processing of the GNSS data can take place either on-board the satellite or off-board on the ground.

The ADCS and ODS of TRACE

For TRACE's ADCS, we have configured a CubeADCS Gen 2 from CubeSpace specifically for our mission. This advanced, fully integrated ADCS includes preinstalled management software along with estimation and control algorithms suitable for any mission TRACE may undertake. The system comprises:

  • The CubeADCS Core, which manages the ADCS and executes the attitude estimation and control algorithms.
  • The Actuators, providing full attitude control, consisting of 3-axis magnetorquers (CR0002/CR0003) and 3-axis reaction wheels (CW0017).
  • The Sensors, ensuring precise attitude determination, featuring two magnetometers (CubeMag Compact / Deployable), ten coarse sun sensors, two CubeSense Sun sensors, and an IMU integrated within the CubeADCS Core.

TRACE's ODS includes a GNSS provided by Skyfox Labs and in-house developed orbit determination software. This software will run off-board to accurately determine TRACE's orbital position during the primary mission. The low-power setup enables continuous measurements over extended periods and features:

  • The piNAV-NG CubeSat GPS Receiver
  • The nanoPATCH-L1 Active GPS-L1 Patch Antenna

Current projects

At present, we are finalizing the configuration of a comprehensive 3-axis ADCS system for TRACE to meet all mission requirements. Additionally, a MATLAB-based simulation software is under development to test and validate self-developed control algorithms. This ensures their effectiveness and stability before implementation in TRACE’s final operation phase. Lastly, we are developing software to process the received GNSS data to determine TRACE’s position in orbit.

Future projects

Looking ahead, we aim to revitalize our in-house ADCS development series. This involves researching diverse actuators and sensors to determine their compatibility and viability for small-budget CubeSat projects. We will propose a recommended composition of sensors and actuators. Moreover, we actively seek ADCS-related missions, such as experimental actuators or sensors.

Got interested?

If you're interested in the tasks and responsibilities of our ADC subsection, join one of our meetings on Discord. For any questions, feel free to reach out to TRACE ADC.