Session
Poster Session 2
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
Hardware-in-the-loop testing systems, commonly known as FlatSats, are testbed systems in which spacecraft subsystems, such as the onboard computer (OBC), power system, attitude determination and control system (ADCS), and communications, are laid flat and interconnected as they would be in an actual spacecraft. This arrangement gives easy access to each subsystem, enabling hardware and software testing and troubleshooting without risking fully assembled flight hardware.
FlatSats are widely used throughout the aerospace industry, from government agencies like ESA and NASA to private companies and university research labs, due to their versatility in enabling parallel development. This accelerates timelines and reduces codependency between systems during development.
High fidelity commercial FlatSat systems can cost upwards of $98,000, placing them beyond the reach of most university laboratories. Additionally, documentation of developed FlatSats tends to focus on the finished system rather than the process used to build it, leaving academic teams without any roadmap for developing their own. Because building a robust FlatSat requires knowledge spanning orbital mechanics, electrical hardware design, embedded software, and systems engineering, teams without this background often see their development pace significantly slowed. This presentation addresses that knowledge gap by presenting a generalized, process-oriented framework for developing a FlatSat's electronic hardware and testing software, with the goal of giving university teams a practical low-cost starting point.
Document Type
Event
Paper
Included in
A Proposed Development Process for a Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing System for CubeSat Components
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Hardware-in-the-loop testing systems, commonly known as FlatSats, are testbed systems in which spacecraft subsystems, such as the onboard computer (OBC), power system, attitude determination and control system (ADCS), and communications, are laid flat and interconnected as they would be in an actual spacecraft. This arrangement gives easy access to each subsystem, enabling hardware and software testing and troubleshooting without risking fully assembled flight hardware.
FlatSats are widely used throughout the aerospace industry, from government agencies like ESA and NASA to private companies and university research labs, due to their versatility in enabling parallel development. This accelerates timelines and reduces codependency between systems during development.
High fidelity commercial FlatSat systems can cost upwards of $98,000, placing them beyond the reach of most university laboratories. Additionally, documentation of developed FlatSats tends to focus on the finished system rather than the process used to build it, leaving academic teams without any roadmap for developing their own. Because building a robust FlatSat requires knowledge spanning orbital mechanics, electrical hardware design, embedded software, and systems engineering, teams without this background often see their development pace significantly slowed. This presentation addresses that knowledge gap by presenting a generalized, process-oriented framework for developing a FlatSat's electronic hardware and testing software, with the goal of giving university teams a practical low-cost starting point.
