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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Massive Scale Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation for Satellite Constellations and Other Multi-Agent Networks
Christopher F. DeGraw
26 Pages
Directed by Dr. Marcus Holzinger
Given the plans for satellite mega-constellations, there is a lack of rigorously tested operations and control methods for constellations larger than 30 to 50 spacecraft. The purpose of this thesis is to propose the principles behind a robust, modular and scalable system able to provide software-in-the-loop (SWIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) simulation capabilities for the advancement of formation and constellation system Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). Additionally, this thesis will develop a first-generation system demonstrating these principles called Constellation Simulation on a Massive Scale, or COSMoS.
The preliminary goals of COSMoS are to:
Currently developing constellation automation capabilities include the implementation of control schemes using a Minimum Lyapunov Error approach developed by Dr. Marcus Holzinger and Dr. Jay McMahon, which will be one of the first algorithms tested on COSMoS. The system will also interact with flight-like and flight-ready hardware with the goal of testing experiment systems for SSDL flight missions and potentially increasing their TRL. Finally, it will also connect to the SSDL Operations Center to assist in the development of human-constellation interactions and ground controller training for SSDL flight missions.
