Characterization and Testing of the Passive Magnetic Attitude Control System for the 3U AstroBio CubeSat
AstroBio CubeSat is a mission funded by the Italian Space Agency aimed at validating novel lab-on-chip technology, that would enable the use of micro- and nanosatellites as autonomous orbiting laboratories for research in astrobiology. This 3U CubeSat is equipped with a passive magnetic attitude con...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Aerospace |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/9/11/723 |
| _version_ | 1797466191447457792 |
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| author | Stefano Carletta Augusto Nascetti Sagar S. Gosikere Matadha Lorenzo Iannascoli Thiago Baratto de Albuquerque Nithin Maipan Davis Luigi Schirone Gabriele Impresario Simone Pirrotta John R. Brucato |
| author_facet | Stefano Carletta Augusto Nascetti Sagar S. Gosikere Matadha Lorenzo Iannascoli Thiago Baratto de Albuquerque Nithin Maipan Davis Luigi Schirone Gabriele Impresario Simone Pirrotta John R. Brucato |
| author_sort | Stefano Carletta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | AstroBio CubeSat is a mission funded by the Italian Space Agency aimed at validating novel lab-on-chip technology, that would enable the use of micro- and nanosatellites as autonomous orbiting laboratories for research in astrobiology. This 3U CubeSat is equipped with a passive magnetic attitude control system (PMACS), including permanent magnets and hysteresis strips, which allows for stabilizing the spacecraft with the longitudinal axis in the direction of the geomagnetic field vector. This work presents the process followed for the experimental characterization of the system, performed on the engineering unit of the satellite by using a Helmholtz cage facility and a spherical air-bearing to recreate environmental conditions similar to the ones experienced during the orbital motion. The hysteresis strips are characterized starting from the determination of the hysteresis loop, from which the energy dissipation per cycle and the apparent magnetic permeability are extracted. Tests performed by using the Helmholtz cage and the air-bearing facility allows for further investigating the damping torque produced by the PMACS and validating the abovementioned parameters. Numerical analysis is then used to select the number of permanent magnets which allows for achieving a pointing accuracy within an error of <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>10</mn><mo>∘</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula> within 24 h from the deployment. The analysis of the flight data supports the results obtained from the experimental test campaigns, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed methods and of the PMACS design. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:32:19Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-4310 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:32:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Aerospace |
| spelling | doaj.art-7bf0a1fde9b64438b8a1e033f8b3f6be2023-11-24T07:24:30ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102022-11-0191172310.3390/aerospace9110723Characterization and Testing of the Passive Magnetic Attitude Control System for the 3U AstroBio CubeSatStefano Carletta0Augusto Nascetti1Sagar S. Gosikere Matadha2Lorenzo Iannascoli3Thiago Baratto de Albuquerque4Nithin Maipan Davis5Luigi Schirone6Gabriele Impresario7Simone Pirrotta8John R. Brucato9School of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, 00138 Rome, ItalySchool of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, 00138 Rome, ItalySchool of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, 00138 Rome, ItalySchool of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, 00138 Rome, ItalySchool of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, 00138 Rome, ItalySchool of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, 00138 Rome, ItalySchool of Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 851, 00138 Rome, ItalyItalian Space Agency, Via del Politecnico snc, 00133 Rome, ItalyItalian Space Agency, Via del Politecnico snc, 00133 Rome, ItalyNational Institute for Astrophysics, Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, Largo Enrico Fermi 5, 50125 Florence, ItalyAstroBio CubeSat is a mission funded by the Italian Space Agency aimed at validating novel lab-on-chip technology, that would enable the use of micro- and nanosatellites as autonomous orbiting laboratories for research in astrobiology. This 3U CubeSat is equipped with a passive magnetic attitude control system (PMACS), including permanent magnets and hysteresis strips, which allows for stabilizing the spacecraft with the longitudinal axis in the direction of the geomagnetic field vector. This work presents the process followed for the experimental characterization of the system, performed on the engineering unit of the satellite by using a Helmholtz cage facility and a spherical air-bearing to recreate environmental conditions similar to the ones experienced during the orbital motion. The hysteresis strips are characterized starting from the determination of the hysteresis loop, from which the energy dissipation per cycle and the apparent magnetic permeability are extracted. Tests performed by using the Helmholtz cage and the air-bearing facility allows for further investigating the damping torque produced by the PMACS and validating the abovementioned parameters. Numerical analysis is then used to select the number of permanent magnets which allows for achieving a pointing accuracy within an error of <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>10</mn><mo>∘</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula> within 24 h from the deployment. The analysis of the flight data supports the results obtained from the experimental test campaigns, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed methods and of the PMACS design.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/9/11/723AstroBio CubeSatpassive magnetic attitude controlHelmholtz cageADCSexperimental testing |
| spellingShingle | Stefano Carletta Augusto Nascetti Sagar S. Gosikere Matadha Lorenzo Iannascoli Thiago Baratto de Albuquerque Nithin Maipan Davis Luigi Schirone Gabriele Impresario Simone Pirrotta John R. Brucato Characterization and Testing of the Passive Magnetic Attitude Control System for the 3U AstroBio CubeSat Aerospace AstroBio CubeSat passive magnetic attitude control Helmholtz cage ADCS experimental testing |
| title | Characterization and Testing of the Passive Magnetic Attitude Control System for the 3U AstroBio CubeSat |
| title_full | Characterization and Testing of the Passive Magnetic Attitude Control System for the 3U AstroBio CubeSat |
| title_fullStr | Characterization and Testing of the Passive Magnetic Attitude Control System for the 3U AstroBio CubeSat |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterization and Testing of the Passive Magnetic Attitude Control System for the 3U AstroBio CubeSat |
| title_short | Characterization and Testing of the Passive Magnetic Attitude Control System for the 3U AstroBio CubeSat |
| title_sort | characterization and testing of the passive magnetic attitude control system for the 3u astrobio cubesat |
| topic | AstroBio CubeSat passive magnetic attitude control Helmholtz cage ADCS experimental testing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/9/11/723 |
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