Project of an attitude control of 1 DoF using a reaction wheel

Abstract

One of the most important parts in a satellite is the Attitude Determination and Control system (ADCS). Without it, solar panels would not be facing the sun nor antennas be pointing the Earth. Among the available options, a reaction wheel enables an accurate control on all 3 axis without the need of additional fuel, just by a low power consumption from the batteries. In this thesis, a complete project on the design and construction of an ADCS for a Cube- Sat (a miniature yet functional satellite) of 1 DoF is developed. First, the state of the art is explained as an introduction, followed by the physical background and equations used for the system simulation. After studying the feasibility of the system dimensioning parameters with Simulink, the design is explained. In the construction process section, a detailed description of each part is provided, along with a full diagram showing all the electronic connections. A magnetometer is used as an attitude sensor (as a compass), a DC brushed motor and compact disks as a Reaction Wheel, LiPo batteries for power supply and an Arduino as a micro-controller and coding platform. All the code used, as the parts calibration and setting and the PID control system, is provided and explained, followed by a brief performance testing and feedback of the system after assembly. At the end, the conclusions and follow-up can be found, along with the references