AAVC: Aero/Astro Vehicle Control

Aero/Astro Vehicle Control extends VisualCommander with a software suite for the control of flight vehicles ranging from aircraft to spacecraft. It includes the control software and the verification simulations to get you flying in less time and to provide room for your own innovations and future expansion.

Simulation Packages

The Spacecraft Package includes the Spacecraft Control framework with hundreds of C and C++ functions to support spacecraft modeling and control, a bundle of DSim C++ classes modeling dozens of spacecraft components, and supporting display plug-ins and data processors for VisualCommander. The Aerospace Vehicle Package provides additional extensions for aircraft and launch vehicles.

• Spacecraft Package: Simulation models, displays, and data processors for simulating spacecraft in orbit.
• Aerospace Vehicle Package: Simulation models and displays for aerospace vehicles from launch to orbit, including the Aerospace Control framework.

Control Systems

The control systems are implemented in VC's ControlDeck architecture. ControlDeck is based on a set of asynchronous modules that communicate through a robust messaging architecture. This provides tremendous flexibility when implementing complex multi-rate control systems. All control systems require the Spacecraft Package for implementing the included simulations.

• Spacecraft Control System Bundle: Attitude control and determination software supporting reaction wheels, torquers and thrusters.
• Optical Navigation Bundle: Autonomous optical navigation with Kalman filters, sensor processing, and camera targeting algorithms.
• Precision Attitude Control System: Advanced star camera processing and attitude control for high precision applications.
• Space Rapid Transit Bundle: Launch guidance, atmospheric flight control, formation flying and rendezvous software for a TSTO vehicle. Requires the Aerospace Vehicle Package and the Spacecraft Package.
• Lunar Lander GN&C: Guidance Navigation and Control for complete lunar missions.

Turnkey Space Software

AAVC has been used by Princeton Satellite Systems to design control and guidance systems for missiles, air launch systems and spacecraft in orbits ranging from low earth to the edges of the solar system. Our typical simulation includes a half dozen vehicles, each with its own control and navigation system.

The control systems give you a starting point for your own designs saving you countless months and hundreds of thousands of dollars in development costs. Each bundle comes complete with simulation setup files, sample GUIs, and control system code. All source code is provided for the control software. The software runs in the open-architecture VisualCommander making it easy to connect your own software tools, simulation and hardware. The same software can take you from conceptual design through flight.

Each control bundle includes:

• C++ code implementing the control system using the ControlDeck architecture
• Complete simulation written in C++ using Princeton Satellite Systems' DSim
• Graphical user interface in VisualCommander
• MATLAB functions and scripts that support the design of these control and navigation systems

DSim and ControlDeck can run on the Mac, UNIX, or Windows OS. The VisualCommander graphical user interface runs on MacOS 10.6+.

The figure below shows the connections between the control bundles. The Spacecraft Control System can be used to support many types of satellite operations. It also provides a common code base that supports the other two bundles. Click on each box to view a block diagram of the control system.

The technology in these products is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services.

For More Information

• Our new AAVC brochure with many more details and examples.

• VisualCommander is used to simulate control systems for many applications.

• The CubeSat Toolbox for MATLAB is a set of MATLAB functions and scripts for designing nanosatellites.

• Princeton Satellite Systems and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory established a CubeSat Club for Middle School students.

• Space Rapid Transit is a winged, two-stage-to-orbit vehicle under development at Princeton Satellite Systems.

• Our engineers have developed flight software for a number of successful satellite missions.

For further information about AAVC, please contact us here: AAVC Inquiry