Abstract:

This paper introduces the ESAT platform and its use in teaching Aerospace Engineering. ESAT is a modular educational nanosatellite designed for hands-on learning at all educational levels. This platform has been developed by Theia Space, an initiative originated at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. ESAT features the full set of characteristic spacecraft subsystems (power, onboard data handling, attitude control and payload). The satellite can be disassembled to focus on each subsystem, one at a time, or used all together, and features a flexible ground segment. It has been developed with an open and expandable philosophy: on-board code is based on the popular Arduino platform, and libraries are easily reconfigurable, so that users can extend its functionality with a gradual learning curve. Several communication and control hardware lines are also available, allowing users to develop and integrate their own custom payloads.

Currently, the platform is used in practical lessons with students of the last year of Aerospace Engineering Master’s degree. Even though they had a solid theoretical background on spacecraft systems, they had in general very little or no hands-on experience working with a complex system, so practical sessions with ESAT provide the perfect complement to their learning. The satellite is also used for Master Thesis and for research activities, as testing and validation framework for Attitude and Determination Control algorithms, among other possibilities.

Keywords:

Educational Satellites, Hands-on training, ESAT.