ATTITUDE CONTROL TEST FACILITY FOR ON-GROUND SYSTEM TESTS AND SOFTWARE VERIFICATION

摘要

This paper describes the state of the art attitude control system (ACS) test facility used for the verification of theACS of the TET-1 Satellite. Its combination of a free floating platform on an air bearing, allowing almost frictionlessmotion of the satellite’s ACS model, together with environmental simulation capabilities for the magnetic field and thesun make it a perfect tool to perform end to end tests of the ACS software with the hardware in the loop. The platform has360° freedom of motion around the vertical axis and 20° rotation around the two horizontal axes. Together with adynamically adaptable magnetic field as well as an adjustable sun simulator, various attitude control maneuvers andmodes (such as target pointing mode, sun pointing mode) can be tested and the satellites reaction can be observed. Thetest model is commanded via a wireless connection with the same software and commands that is also used for thesatellite itself. The ACS sensors provide information about the attitude of the model based on the simulatedenvironmental conditions and the ACS actuators are able to rotate the platform, which has the same moment of inertia asthe satellite. A full verification of the ACS software including sensors, actuators and control loop is therefore possible.This paper shall describe the test facility in detail, test results from the TET-1 satellite, as well as plans for extending thefacility to be able to simulate an environment for star trackers.