Development of a COTS-Based Propulsion System Controller for NASA’s Lunar Flashlight CubeSat Mission
Author(s)
Cheek, Nathan
Daniel, Nathan L.
Peet, Sterling
Smith, Celeste R.
Cavender, Daniel P.
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Abstract
The Lunar Flashlight mission is designed to send a 6U CubeSat into lunar orbit with the aim of finding
water-ice deposits on the lunar south pole. The Glenn Lightsey Research Group (GLRG) within Georgia
Tech’s Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL) is developing a low-cost propulsion system controller for this
satellite using commercial-o↵-the-shelf (COTS) parts, with an emphasis on overcoming the harsh environment
of lunar orbit through careful architecture and testing. This paper provides in-depth coverage of the LFPS
controller development and testing processes, showing how an embedded system based on COTS parts can be
designed for the intense environment of space. From the high-level requirements architecture to the selection
of specific hardware components and software design choices, followed by rigorous environmental testing of
the design, radiation and other environmental hardening can be achieved with high confidence.
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Date
2021-08
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Text
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Paper
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