OreSat 1.0 is an open-source 2U CubeSat developed by the Portland State Aerospace Society (PSAS). A key subsystem required for mission success is the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS), which ensures stable pointing for payload operations and detumbling after deployment. Prior to this work, no ADCS software or control framework existed for OreSat 1.0.
This project developed the complete ADCS architecture from the ground up. The system integrates quaternion-based attitude representations, reaction wheel and magnetorquer control allocation, and a discrete-time Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) controller for multi-axis stability and precision pointing. A high-fidelity spacecraft dynamics environment was implemented in the Basilisk Astrodynamics Simulation Framework to test and validate the control system under realistic spacecraft conditions and actuator limits.
Multiple operational modes have been designed and investigated, including magnetorquer-based detumbling, passive thermal spin, and target-pointing during orbital passes. These modes demonstrate the versatility of the combined reaction wheel and magnetorquer actuation system, ensuring that OreSat 1.0 can meet its mission pointing requirements across different phases of flight.