Development of an In-Orbit Simulator for Nanosatellites

The validation of the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) of a satellite is essential for mission success. This thesis deals with setting up a testbed to test ADCS components of nanosatellites. The testbed is called In-orbit Simulator, and is setup in the clean room. A two-axis turntable, Helmholtz cage, and sun simulator are used to setup the testbed. The Helmholtz cage is designed, built and tested to fulfill the requirements. The turntable and the sun simulator are Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products. The different hardware involved is integrated as a single testbed. The user interface software is written in MATLAB to control the testbed and carry out tests. The Earth's magnetic field is simulated using the Helmholtz cage, the sun vector is simulated using the sun simulator and the satellite motion is simulated by the turntable. The testbed is then used to calibrate the fight model sun sensor and magnetometer of Velox P picosatellite.Validerat; 20121101 (anonymous