Tag: CubeSat
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PSS Toolboxes 2021.1 Now Available!
Version 2021.1 of Princeton Satellite Systems toolboxes for MATLAB is now available! Over 50 new functions and scripts are included. Many other existing functions have been improved. One new function is AtmNRLMSISE.m, an atmosphere function based on the NRL MSISE model. It is uses extensive flight data and includes sun effects. It computes the overall…
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1U CubeSat Structural Design and 3D Print
As a Summer 2021 intern, my first project was to complete the structural design of a 1U CubeSat that will fly in orbit with and observe the NASA Solar Cruiser. The 1U CubeSat needed to follow the CubeSat design specifications set by the California Polytechnic State University; it needed to have specific dimensions, needed to…
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PRISMS Secondary School Student Builds a Sun Sensor
The Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science is a private secondary school in Princeton New Jersey. http://www.prismsus.org One of their students, Savva Morozov, undertook a project to build a miniature 2-axis sun sensor for a CubeSat. Here is his blog post! My name is Savva, I’m a senior at Princeton Int’l School of Math…
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Simulating Magnetic Hysteresis Damping
CubeSats have caused a renewed interest in magnetic control of satellites, and passive hysteresis damping in particular. Modeling actual hysteresis rods on a satellite is not trivial, and generally requires empirical data on the properties of the rods selected. Our newest CubeSat simulation demonstrates damping using rods in LEO. A permanent magnet is modeled using…
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6U CubeSat to Mars
We’ve been working on Asteroid Prospector, a 6U CubeSat to explore Near Earth Objects, for the past two years. It is quite a challenge to pack all the hardware into a 6U frame. Here is our latest design: The nadir face has both an Optical Navigation System camera and a JPL designed robot arm. The…
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Asteroid Prospector Orbiting Apophis
Asteroid Prospector is a 6U CubeSat designed to survey asteroids. It uses a Busek Ion engine to spiral out of earth orbit and rendezvous with an asteroid. It then uses its reaction control thruster system, which employ ECAPS green propellant thrusters, to perform near-asteroid operations. Here is a picture of the spacecraft in circular orbit…
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SmallSat Conference in the Cache Valley!
PSS attended the Small Satellite Conference in Logan, Utah, Aug 12-15. The conference site, on the campus of Utah State University, couldn’t have been more beautiful! View from the SmallSat venue, Logan Utah The technical program, conference organization, and venue were all outstanding! I bumped into several PSS MATLAB Toolbox customers and representatives from companies…
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Is that a spaceship in your pocket?
I remember the day my dad brought home our very first VCR. It was a glorious invention. No longer were our family outings constrained by the TV Guide. This nifty VCR would magically record our favorite shows and allow us to play them back whenever we wanted. It wasn’t long before we had a cabinet…
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Toolbox Release!
We will release SCT 11 and ACT 5 this week! New features in SCT include tools for attitude profiling and visualization, libration point orbits and transfers, image analysis functions, brushless DC motor functions, updated Kalman Filters and smoothers, and a new UKF-compatible sensor suite.