| Popis: |
The Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) is considered one of the most critical subsystems of a spacecraft, and must be carefully calibrated and monitored to ensure mission success. Many emerging small satellite missions feature large constellations, creating a need for new design philosophies and operational approaches to accommodate the management of many ADCS subsystems simultaneously. Planet currently operates approximately 190 Dove Cubesats for Earth Observation, with only a small team of ADCS engineers and satellite operators responsible for the performance of the entire constellation. Since Planet’s first launches in 2013, on-orbit data and diverse experiences have contributed to the evolution of techniques and tools to support a fleet of this size. Today, Planet’s ADCS engineers and operators rely on automated systems to enable on-orbit calibration, nominal operations, performance monitoring, and anomaly detection. The systems are intended to minimize the need for humans-in-the-loop, but where it is required they are designed to enable agile decision making. This paper shares techniques, insights and lessons learned from calibrating and monitoring ADCS subsystems at scale. |
