Space and Exploration Technology

Liviu Stamat and Bonar Robb presented their papers today at the Small Satellite Engineering session at the AIAA SciTech Forum 2020.

 

Liviu Stamat presented his paper on Laboratory-scale Test Platforms for Femto-Satellite Attitude Control Systems. The work proposes, prototypes and tests various low-cost designs for lightweight and low-friction mechanical devices, that could potentially be used as laboratory test platforms for an attitude control subsystem implemented on board a femto-class satellite. Furthermore, the results uncover power as a new constraint for femto-satellite attitude control subsystem design.

Bonar presented Magnetic Attitude Control of Gossamer Spacecraft using a 3D-printed, Electrically Conducting Support Structure. The paper proposes the use of conductive paths embedded within a spacecraft support structure to provide attitude control. This system could be deployed in space through the use of on-orbit manufacturing, another of the SET group’s research topics. Results show that such a system could provide attitude control to large solar reflectors, used to illuminate terrestrial solar power farms and increase their energy output at times of peak demand.