Development of a low-cost multi-camera star tracker for small satellites

Zhao, Hongrui

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/108522 Copy

Description

Title

Development of a low-cost multi-camera star tracker for small satellites

Author(s)

Zhao, Hongrui

Issue Date

2020-07-21

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Lembeck, Michael F

Department of Study

Aerospace Engineering

Discipline

Aerospace Engineering

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Star Tracker
• Attitude Determination and Control

Abstract

This thesis presents a novel small satellite star tracker that uses an array of low-cost, off the shelf imaging sensors to achieve high accuracy attitude determination performance. The theoretical analysis of improvements in star detectability achieved by stacking images from multiple cameras is presented. An image processing algorithm is developed to combine images from multiple cameras with arbitrary focal lengths, principal point offsets, distortions, and misalignments. The star tracker also implements other algorithms including the region growing algorithm, the intensity weighted centroid algorithm, the geometric voting algorithm for star identification, and the singular value decomposition algorithm for attitude determination. A star tracker software simulator is used to test the algorithms by generating star images with sensor noises, lens defocusing, and lens distortion. A hardware prototype is being assembled for eventual night sky testing to verify simulated performance levels. Star tracker flight hardware is being developed in the Laboratory for Advanced Space Systems at Illinois (LASSI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign for future CubeSat missions.

Graduation Semester

2020-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/108522

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2020 Hongrui Zhao

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