Study and design of magnetic attitude control systems for nanosatellites

The objective of this bachelor thesis was to display all the attitude and control systems (ACS) available for CubeSats and how magnetic ACS are the most convenient option in terms of volume. Precisely this project focused on the procedure, the design and the laws of physics that are behind the creation of a torque rod, a magnetic attitude and control system conceived for nanosatellites. After discussing the magnetic laws, the different types of materials of the core, and the geometric parameters of the core and of the wire, all of which determine the operating area of the system, a theoretical model for a torque rod was devised. This was done by using the models present in Niccolò Bellini’s master thesis “Magnetic actuators for nanosatellite attitude control”, 2014. This bachelor thesis ended with the gathering of some experimental data on an embedded magnetorquer collected through a Helmholtz cage.