Geomagnetic Field Tracker for Deorbiting a CubeSat Using Electric Thrusters

Morales, José L.; Kim, Jongrae; Richardson, Robert

doi:10.2514/1.g003908

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Both a spin-stabilization controller and a deorbiting algorithm for CubeSats have been presented. They can be used Tethers 1000 ≈ 250 days [19] Electrospray 1000 ≈ 16 days [24] in conjunction to achieve the deorbiting of a satellite when full attitude information is not available. Both are ideal for application in CubeSats, as they take into account hardware and software limitations present in this type of satellites.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Working principles and specifics of each of these technologies are beyond the scope of this paper, and they can be found in the cited references. Table 1 [24] summarizes some of the main features for each particular type of electric engine, which provide an insight of the potential that this technology has for applications in the field of CubeSats. Each of these technologies is at different stages of development and provides a variety of features and efficiency.…”

Section: Electric Propulsionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Monte Carlo simulations were executed to prove the robustness of the algorithm. An uncertainties vector is defined as per Table 2 [24], which includes reasonable levels of uncertainties for real life missions. The results of the Monte Carlo simulations are depicted in Fig.…”

Section: Robustness Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Gyroless Spin-Stabilization Controller and Deorbiting Algorithm for CubeSats

Morales

Kim

Richardson

2020

Int. J. Aeronaut. Space Sci.

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CubeSats are becoming increasingly popular in the scientific community. While they provide a whole new range of opportunities for space exploration, they also come with their own challenges. One of the main concerns is the negative impact which they can have in the space debris problem. Commonly lacking from attitude determination and propulsion capabilities, it has been difficult to provide CubeSats with means for active deorbiting. While electric propulsion technology has been emerging for its application in CubeSats, little or no literature is available on methods to enable it to be used for deorbiting purposes, especially within the tight constraints faced by these nanosatellites. We present a new and simple algorithm for CubeSat deorbiting, which proposes the use of novel electric propulsion technology with minimum sensing and actuation capabilities. The algorithm is divided into two stages: a spin-stabilization control; and a deorbiting-phase detection. The spin-stabilization control is inspired by the B-dot controller. It does not require gyroscopes, but only requires magnetometers and magnetorquers as sensors and actuators, respectively. The deorbiting-phase detection is activated once the satellite is spin-stabilized. The algorithm can be easily implementable as it does not require any attitude information other than the orbital information, e.g., from the Global Positioning System receiver, which could be easily installed in CubeSats. The effectiveness of each part of the algorithms is validated through numerical simulations. The proposed algorithms outperform the existing approaches such as deorbiting sails, inflatable structures, and electrodynamic tethers in terms of deorbiting times. Stability and robustness analysis are also provided. The proposed algorithm is ready to be implemented with minimal effort and provides a robust solution to the space junk mitigation efforts.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Electric Propulsionmentioning

confidence: 99%