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Projecte llegit

Títol: A comparison of star identification algorithms for star trackers

Estudiants que han llegit aquest projecte:

Director/a: GIL PONS, PILAR

Departament: FIS

Títol: A comparison of star identification algorithms for star trackers

Data inici oferta: 01-02-2024     Data finalització oferta: 01-10-2024


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    GR ENG SIST AEROESP
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: EETAC
 
Segon director/a (UPC): GUTIÉRREZ CABELLO, JORDI
 
Paraules clau:
Star tracker, Lost-In-Space phase, ADCS, star catalog, field of view and quaternion
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
Star trackers are the most accurate attitude-determination systems for satellites. Its operation is based on the identification of the stars present in the field of view of a small telescope and the determination of the astronomical coordinates of the centre of the image. To allow star identification, the star tracker uses a catalogue of stars whose size and properties primarily depend on the expected accuracy and the field of view.

Identifying the stars present in the field is a difficult and time-consuming process for which there exist many different algorithms. In the scenario of the \emph{PhotSat} missions, it is necessary to benchmark many of these algorithms in terms of accuracy, computational burden, and size of the star catalogue, among other figures of merit.

A specially demanding phase of attitude determination is the case in which there is no prior information on the orientation of the satellite, as is the case when it is just released from the rocket. This is referred to as \emph{Lost-in-Space} (LIS) and requires the identification of the star field from scratch.

This Final Degree Thesis is devoted to the exploration of some of the leading algorithms usable with limited computational power expected to be available in small satellites. The codes, which must be valid for LIS and nominal operations, will be written in MatLab and their performance measured through the standard MatLab tools for such purposes.

Our project is particularly relevant in the context of the development of attitude determination and control of \emph{PhotSat}, a 12U CubeSat with astronomical applications currently being developed in the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia.
 
Overview (resum en anglès):
Star trackers are the most accurate attitude-determination systems for satellites. Its operation is based on the identification of the stars present in the field of view of a small
telescope and the determination of the astronomical coordinates of the centre of the image. To allow star identification, the star tracker uses a catalogue of stars whose size and
properties primarily depend on the expected accuracy and the field of view.
Identifying the stars present in the field is a difficult and time-consuming process for which
there exist many different algorithms. It is necessary to benchmark many of these algorithms in terms of accuracy, computational burden, and size of the star catalogue, among
other figures of merit.
A specially demanding phase of attitude determination is the case in which there is no
prior information on the orientation of the satellite, as is the case when it is just released
from the rocket. This is referred to as Lost-in-Space (LIS) and requires the identification of
the star field from scratch.
This Final Degree Thesis is devoted to the exploration of some of the leading algorithms
usable with limited computational power expected to be available in small satellites. The
codes, which must be valid for LIS and nominal operations, will be written in MatLab and
their performance measured through the standard MatLab tools for such purposes.
Our project is particularly relevant in the context of the development of attitude determination and control of PhotSat, a 12U CubeSat with astronomical applications currently being
developed in the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia.

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