Orbit Propagator and Geomagnetic Field Estimator for NanoSatellite: The ICUBE Mission

Authors: Lv Meibo, Naqvi Najam Abbas, Hina Arshad, Li YanJun

Abstract:

This research contribution is drafted to present the orbit design, orbit propagator and geomagnetic field estimator for the nanosatellites specifically for the upcoming CUBESAT, ICUBE-1 of the Institute of Space Technology (IST), Islamabad, Pakistan. The ICUBE mission is designed for the low earth orbit at the approximate height of 700KM. The presented research endeavor designs the Keplarian elements for ICUBE-1 orbit while incorporating the mission requirements and propagates the orbit using J2 perturbations, The attitude determination system of the ICUBE-1 consists of attitude determination sensors like magnetometer and sun sensor. The Geomagnetic field estimator is developed according to the model of International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) for comparing the magnetic field measurements by the magnetometer for attitude determination. The output of the propagator namely the Keplarians position and velocity vectors and the magnetic field vectors are compared and verified with the same scenario generated in the  Satellite Tool Kit (STK).

Keywords: CUBESAT, Geomagnetic Field, ICUBE-1, Orbit Propagator, Satellite.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1335610

References:

[1] www.ist.edu.pk
[2] Rehan Mahmood, Khurram Khurshid, Qamar ul Islam, “Institute of Space Technology CubeSat: ICUBE-1 Subsystem Analysis and Design” 32nd IEEE Aerospace Conference, USA, 2011.
[3] http://cubesat.calpoly.edu/
[4] Satellite Tool Kit, www.stk.com
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_elements
[6] S. S. Ose, Master’s Thesis,“Attitude determination of the NCUBE satellite,” Department of Engineering Cybernetics, June, 2003
[7] Kristian Svartveit, Master’s Thesis,“Attitude determination of the Norwegian Student Satellite NCube,” Department of Engineering Cybernetics, 2004
[8] IGRF Model, www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/igrf.html
[9] http://wdc.kugi.kyoto-u.ac.jp/igrf/point/index.html