CBL - Campus del Baix Llobregat

Projecte llegit

Títol: Satellite Attitude Control by Means of Magnetic Sensors and Actuators

Estudiants que han llegit aquest projecte:

Director/a: GUTIÉRREZ CABELLO, JORDI

Departament: FIS

Títol: Satellite Attitude Control by Means of Magnetic Sensors and Actuators

Data inici oferta: 04-02-2026     Data finalització oferta: 04-10-2026


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    GR ENG SIST AEROESP
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: EETAC
 
Segon director/a (UPC): GIL PONS, PILAR
 
Paraules clau:
Magnetorquer, ADCS, CubeSat, Satellite
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) are critical to the success of satellite missions, ensuring medium-accuracy orientation for communication and mission development. For small satellites, such as CubeSats, ADCS design is heavily dictated by stringent Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints, requiring hardware and algorithms that minimize mass, power consumption, and computational overhead.

This thesis will investigate the viability and optimization of purely magnetic ADCS solutions. The research will first evaluate the geometric configuration of magnetorquers to maximize actuation efficiency. Subsequently, the study will assess state-of-the-art algorithms for both attitude determination and control, specifically focusing on those employing Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) magnetometer data. Finally, an analysis of current MEMS magnetometer technologies will be conducted to identify the most suitable sensors for high-reliability, low-resource missions. The results will provide a comprehensive framework for implementing robust magnetic-based attitude control in resource-constrained satellite environments.
 
Overview (resum en anglès):
Nowadays, there is a growing trend toward the compaction and miniaturization of satellites, leading to new models such as CubeSats. For this reason, the development and improvement of subsystems has been booming. One of the most critical subsystems in satellite design is the attitude control system. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to study how these subsystems work, more specifically magnetorquers, for attitude control, by conducting a dissemination of values and establishing a guide to design a magnetorquer from scratch. To this end, the aim is to analytically define all the parameters and variables involved in the creation of these components in order to beat current market prices, proposing a low-cost alternative that maintains the necessary performance.

The work includes the implementation of a physical prototype to validate the design. To carry out this task, different software tools such as Matlab, Python, or Arduino will be used. Simulation and coding tools in Matlab and Python are utilized to structure the initial conceptual phases and perform preliminary calculations and analyses, while the Arduino environment serves as the basis for programming and controlling the prototype's hardware. Additionally, the material provided in the satellite laboratory of the Castelldefels School of Telecommunications and Aerospace Engineering (EETAC) will be used, which is essential for conducting tests and extracting real operational data.

Once this task is completed, theoretical, experimental, and commercial values can be compared to validate the design. This detailed triple comparison will allow for the contrasting of the initial formulas, the results obtained in the laboratory tests, and the specifications of products already existing on the market. In this way, it will be possible to conclude whether the relevant results of the study are suitable for implementing the subsystem in a space environment in a reliable and efficient manner.

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