Research and Development of Software for Controlling CubeSat Orbital Systems

Before launching a small spacecraft, the CubeSat form factor into space, it is necessary to check the operability of all its systems: whether the solar panels are opened, whether the batteries are charged, whether the orientation system is working, etc. Therefore, various tests are carried out before the flight on the prototype. One of these tests is the tests of orientation and stabilization systems, which are carried out on a special stand of semi-natural modeling. A key aspect of these tests is to test the small spacecraft's ability to navigate and stabilize in orbit. To achieve high accuracy and test quality, special software has been developed for the semi-natural modeling stand located in the HSE MIEM Educational and Research Laboratory, which allows testing based on modern mathematical models, including the SGP-4 orbital model and the international model of the Earth's magnetic field IGRF-13. These models make it possible to more accurately simulate and predict the motion and orientation of a spacecraft in space. As a result, functional tests at the semi-natural modeling stand make it possible to verify the operability of the spacecraft's orientation and stabilization systems in conditions as close as possible to real space conditions. In addition, based on the data (location) of the International Space Station and the Canopus-B satellite, the operability was demonstrated and the accuracy of the models was evaluated.