Guidance Navigation and Control
Guidance, Navigation, and Control, or GNC for short, primarily works with the satellite's orientation and position within its orbit. GNC ensures the success of the mission through various sensors and actuators that will keep the satellite pointing in the right direction at different points in the mission, as well as mitigate the effect of the environment on the satellite pointing.
Responsibilities:
-
Analysis of subsystem pointing/tracking performance
-
Satellite dynamics simulation/calculation
-
Orbit simulation
​
Skills used in GNC:
-
Knowledge of Orbital Parameters and Maneuvers
-
STK Software
Carter Simmons
GNC Team Lead
​
​
gnc
What We are currently working on
We are currently working on developing a dynamics simulation to determine mission requirements for the minimum amount of thrust necessary. In addition, further development of the full mission STK simulation done for the last review is on our to-do list. To prepare for the next review, current mission documentation will be updated and new documents will be developed to better reflect the mission. We are also hoping to begin physical testing of our hardware, part of which will be done with the Helmholtz cage and air bearing table in the lab. Both of those pieces of equipment are being improved by two senior design teams here at the college of engineering.