Session
Technical Session VII: Growing the Community
Abstract
The Formation Autonomy Spacecraft with Thrust, Relnav, Attitude and Crosslink (FASTRAC) satellites were designed, built, and operated by students at the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin). The satellites were launched on the Space Test Program STP-S26 launch on Nov 19, 2010. Thus far, the satellites have provided data showing that all the subsystems have performed to within their expected bounds. This paper presents a validation of the GPS solutions obtained from beacon messages. It also presents some results from the GPS attitude solutions obtained from the satellites as well as a post-processing algorithm has been developed to validate them. The post-processing algorithm is based on a Multiplicative Extended Kalman Filter (MEKF) and is validated with data obtained with an ORION GPS receiver with a Spirent GPS Signal Simulator. Additionally, the quality and amount of data gathered at UT-Austin’s ground station is correlated with the azimuth and elevation of passes over the UT-Austin ground station. An update is provided on the current status of the FASTRAC mission as well as the plan to use the satellites as platforms for the amateur radio community and as educational training tools for other university satellite programs.
Presentation Slides
FASTRAC Mission Analysis and Results
The Formation Autonomy Spacecraft with Thrust, Relnav, Attitude and Crosslink (FASTRAC) satellites were designed, built, and operated by students at the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin). The satellites were launched on the Space Test Program STP-S26 launch on Nov 19, 2010. Thus far, the satellites have provided data showing that all the subsystems have performed to within their expected bounds. This paper presents a validation of the GPS solutions obtained from beacon messages. It also presents some results from the GPS attitude solutions obtained from the satellites as well as a post-processing algorithm has been developed to validate them. The post-processing algorithm is based on a Multiplicative Extended Kalman Filter (MEKF) and is validated with data obtained with an ORION GPS receiver with a Spirent GPS Signal Simulator. Additionally, the quality and amount of data gathered at UT-Austin’s ground station is correlated with the azimuth and elevation of passes over the UT-Austin ground station. An update is provided on the current status of the FASTRAC mission as well as the plan to use the satellites as platforms for the amateur radio community and as educational training tools for other university satellite programs.
