The Space Engineering department has garnered well-deserved recognition for its exceptional contributions to the design, development, and launch of educational nano-satellites. The journey towards achieving a comprehensive ADCS system commenced with the Delfi-C3 CubeSat program, which involved the development of a passively controlled spacecraft without 3-axis stabilization. Building on this foundation, significant strides were made in the Delfi-N3Xt CubeSat program, culminating in the successful creation of a fully-fledged ADCS system that incorporates 3-axis pointing control and stabilization.
Key focal points of the ADCS system development encompassed hardware advancement and characterization, including the optimization and implementation of Reaction Wheels, Sun Sensors, Magnetorquers, and Magnetometers. Additionally, the development and application of cutting-edge attitude estimation algorithms (as evidenced in the ESEO project), along with meticulous control loop design, played pivotal roles in achieving a robust ADCS system. Rigorous efforts in system development and thorough testing further ensured the system’s reliability and effectiveness.