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Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) of compact size target the small satellite market, especially for agile attitude control of satellites with high-resolution optical instruments. With the ability to acquire high-resolution images, the swath width is typically limited by the narrow field of view of the instrument’s optics. In order to enlarge the field of view, an agile attitude control system is advantageous because the ground target area can be substantially expanded by pointing the entire satellite.

AbC is a compact on-board algorithm, initially intended for CubeSats, to measure the absolute direction of a distant beacon with optimised accuracy. The AbC environment anticipates a ground pipeline that has been used with OPS-SAT images to diagnose the ADCS. It has been shown that a ground-truth assessment of the satellite's orientation can be made which, with sufficient data, could allow precise re-alignment of multiple sensors. The ESA contract funded the implementation of the on-board algorithm in C++ and its pipeline in Python.

Background and justification:

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The main objective of the intelligent COTS-based Power Stages (iCOTS) project consisted of the following aspects:

• Design and implementation of a BLDC power stage for robotic space application
• A modular design for the evaluation of power electronics in robotic space application based on COTS GaN-FETs
• Definition of the design process and the appropriate selection of COTS components
• Radiation test of selected COTS components