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Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control Systems

The capabilities of the ASI Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) group include all phases of spacecraft and GN&C subsystem development from conceptual design through in-space operations. ASI personnel have played key roles in spacecraft programs including small spinning Earth Orbiters, LEO & GEO spacecraft, large interplanetary imagers, planetary landers, and human-rated systems.

 

 

Our demonstrated technical capabilities include:

• Spacecraft & mission concept design
• Spacecraft preliminary design, including component selection
• Requirements flowdown, specifications, and verification activities
• GN&C hardware modeling
• GN&C component procurements, initial selection through component delivery
• Spacecraft Attitude Control Design
  • 3-axis Control
  • Powered Flight Control
  • Spin Stabilized
  • Linear, Phase Plane, Modern, Integrated Controllers
  • Planetary Aerobraking & Landing
  • Gimbal Articulation & Control
• Attitude Determination Systems, Design, Analysis, Test, Operations
• Navigation & Ephemeris Systems
• GN&C Flight Software - Requirements, Design, Build, Test & Fly
• GN&C Analysis S/W
• Real-time Closed Loop Testing - S/W & H/W Design & Build
• Rendezvous & Docking Systems
• Spacecraft Integration & Test
• Mission Operations: Initial Checkout, Calibrations, Operational Phases

Programs that ASI's GN&C personnel have supported include:

• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (Concept through Operations)
• Mars Odyssey (Concept through Operations)
• Genesis (Design)
• Stardust (Concept through Operations)
• Mars Climate Orbiter (Concept through Operations)
• Mars Polar Lander (Concept through Operations)
• Mars Global Surveyor (Design/Operations)
• Magellan (Integration & Test through Operations)
• Phoenix Lander (Concept through Integration)
• Classified GEO spacecraft (Design through Operations)
• AFRL TacSat-2 (Concept through End of Mission)
• AFRL DSX - Demonstration & Space Experiments S/C (Design)
• AFRL MTS (COOP) - Microsatellite Target System (Design)
• ORBCOMM Gen 2 - High Availability Communications S/C (Design)
• ORION - Crew Exploration Vehicle (Design & Verification)
• USAFA FalconSat-5 (Design & Verification)

ASI has demonstrated its expertise in Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) design, verification, integration and test, and operations across a variety of Earth orbiting and interplanetary spacecraft. We have experience with all types of ADCS sensors and actuators including Sun sensors, magnetometers, Earth sensors, rate sensors, IMUs, star sensors, reaction wheels, magnetic torque rods, and various types of thrusters. ASI's ADCS experience includes missions to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and the comet Wild-2 as well as several Earth orbiting missions. ASI's engineers have crafted unique ADCS designs for highly specialized activities including aerobraking, entry, descent, and landing, and comet encounter. ASI delivered the ADCS for the successful TacSat-2 mission and is currently the ADCS lead for the upcoming DSX, COOP, and Orbcomm Gen 2 missions. ASI ADCS engineers have supported the Magellan, Stardust, Genesis, Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Phoenix Lander, and Orion missions and are currently supporting the upcoming Juno mission.