Implementation and testing of modular ADCS software using modular avionics test bench for cubesats

In recent years, the persistent boost in the New Space Economy is allowing more and more European companies to develop their different ideas: building their reusable launcher, miniaturized fleets of satellites, or commercial-off-the-shelf space components. Since the competition is growing exponentially, time is increasingly one of the most critical factors in the development process, particularly during the satellite subsystems' integration and testing phase. In addition, the increasing number of Space suppliers results in both a broader opportunity of choice during the design of a satellite and also in a wide variety of protocols and interfaces, for which is necessary to deal with higher complexity, cost, and, again, longer time of development. The project aims to implement, test and validate a modular ADCS software solution, for CubeSats application, using a modular avionics test bench to integrate the hardware required into a compact architecture. This solution shall allow a quicker and more efficient integration and validation, thanks to a plug-and-play approach, of a modular architecture for one of the most crucial satellite subsystems, such as the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS). The choice to focus on CubeSat applications is based on the direction of the New Space Economy towards more cost-effective, flexible, agile, and technologically advanced solutions. Following Modular design principles aims to increase flexibility by designing individual building blocks or modules, which must be interchangeable and adaptable to accommodate various mission concepts. The choice to test an ADCS application concerns the high level of complexity in the relative integration and testing phases and consequently, the required development time, to be reduced as much as possible. For these purposes, a modular avionic test bench (MATB) has been used to create a unique and compact architecture, which integrates all the subsystems needed for the testing setup and for the mission scenario to simulate: from the On Board Computer to the rate and attitude sensor, as well as attitude controller. In addition, even specific simulation devices have been added to recreate space environment features, such as Sunlight, Microgravity, and Earth's Magnetic field, and to supply external inputs to the chosen sensors. Furthermore, a Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation has been implemented, to create an exchange of data between the integrated hardware setup and an orbital simulator, properly modeled to provide data and measurements required by the ADCS software to be tested. This simulation has allowed us to thoroughly assess the solution's performance, resilience, and responsiveness, guaranteeing its reliability under varying conditions and scenarios. In conclusion, the outcomes of this work contribute to the advancement of CubeSat testing technologies by offering a versatile and cost-efficient solution for ADCS development that is not limited to this application. Moving forward, further research may be needed to extend even more the possible applications and implications that this technology could have in the future Space Economy, increasing the degree of accuracy that could be provided. Overall, the study underscores the importance of technology's evolution in improving testing methodologies and tools for space projects.