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Master's Projects

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Design of the Hosted Software Application for the VISORS Mission
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-05-01) Arunkumar, Ebenezer ; Lightsey, E. Glenn
    The VIrtual Super Optics Reconfigurable Swarm (VISORS) mission is a distributed telescope system consisting of two 6U CubeSats that utilize precision formation flying to detect and study the fundamental energy release regions of the solar corona. The inherent complexities and risks associated with two spacecraft operating in close proximity, as well as the unique restrictions of the spacecrafts’ design, make careful autonomous execution crucial to the success of the mission. To address these challenges, this paper outlines the development of the Hosted Software Application (HSA) flight software which manages the Guidance, Navigation, and Control algorithms, the payload finite state machine, and the spacecraft and formation level fault management system. An overview of the HSA provides context for the motivation and requirements driving the design of the flight software system. The architecture of the HSA is presented and shown to be derived from the Mission Events Timeline (MET) for each of the relevant phases of the mission. Finally, a brief outline of the implementation and testing of the software is discussed.
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    Design of the VISORS and SWARM-EX Propulsion Systems
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-12-01) Hart, Samuel T. ; Lightsey, E. Glenn
    The Georgia Tech (GT) Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL) will deliver 3-D printed cold gas propulsion systems for the VISORS and SWARM-EX CubeSat formation flying missions. This report provides an overview of the working principle of these and past propulsion systems designed by the SSDL. Further information is provided about the specific designs of each of these systems and the problems encountered throughout the design process. Additionally, recommendations for improvements to future designs are outlined. An analysis of the effects of temperature on these systems is also presented.
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    Development of a Lunar Mission Operations Center for the NASA JPL Lunar Flashlight Mission
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-05-01) Medisetti, Jishnu ; Lightsey, E. Glenn
    With advancements in small satellite technology being seen, these low cost, small form factor systems are being considered for interplanetary missions. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) mission, Lunar Flashlight is a 6U CubeSat which aims to orbit the Lunar South pole and detect craters for water ice. This mission is a technology demonstration which hopes to prove the viability of low cost CubeSats for interplanetary missions. This low resource model for satellites extends to its mission operations as well. Georgia Institute of Technology’s Space System Design Laboratory has been contracted to perform mission operations for Lunar Flashlight. The operations team was able to develop and expand the capabilities Georgia Tech Mission Operations Center (MOC) to support this Lunar mission. Hardware integration was established to connect various operations machines to each other and the Deep Space Network. Interfaces were defined between the operations team and external parties including the Mission Design and Navigation team at JPL. Using the certified MOC, the operations team was also successfully able to perform and complete their first operational readiness test which simulated the first phase of the Lunar Flashlight mission.
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    Design of a Green Monopropellant Propulsion System for the Lunar Flashlight Mission
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-12-12) Andrews, Dawn ; Lightsey, E. Glenn
    The Lunar Flashlight Mission is a lunar-bound small satellite that will investigate the Moon’s poles for water ice. Aboard the spacecraft is a green monopropellant propulsion system that has been designed by the Georgia Institute of Technology under sponsorship and guidance by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Green monopropellant propul sion is a forthcoming technology that promises improvements in performance and safety over existing monopropellant systems such as Hydrazine, making it a very desirable new technology, and Lunar Flashlight will be the first mission to utilize this propulsion on a CubeSat platform. The design solution for the Lunar Flashlight Propulsion System will be shared, as well as the story behind its evolution through the design process. Additionally, several key aspects of its design that are fundamental to green monopropellant propul sion will be collected in contribution to a design methodology for future iterations. This project is intended to continue on to launch with the Artemis-1 Mission, at which point the propulsion system would complete its objectives of contributing flight heritage to this technology while acting as a critical component for the Lunar Flashlight Mission.
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    Fault Management in Small Satellites
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2002-12-01) McDonald, Dillan ; Lightsey, E. Glenn
    As spacecraft miniaturize, the implementation of an appropriate fault management system is increasingly important. Through experiences testing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) Lunar Flashlight fault protection system and working closely with ARMADILLO’s flight software implementation and other LEO cube-satellites, a set of recommendations has been formed. The recommendations provided specifically cover Under-Voltage Lock Out (UVLO) implementation, spacecraft error handling to help restore functionality, a simplified spacecraft mode state diagram, fault interaction rules, and a general architecture for fault protection implementation. Additionally, a fault hazard analysis was conducted to evaluate points of failure for the Georgia Tech Mission Operations Center (MOC), and finally a discussion on ground station development and the role the GT Ground Station Network (GSN) plays in mission operations.