A Scientific and Applied Project Aimed at Developing an Attitude Control System for a Nanosatellite Has Been Launched at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

At Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, the implementation of a scientific and applied project aimed at developing an attitude determination and control system for a 3U-format nanosatellite for Earth remote sensing tasks has been initiated. The project is planned for the period 2025–2027 and is conducted within the priority scientific development direction of “Advanced Manufacturing, Digital and Space Technologies.” Modern space technology development is characterized by the expanding application of small space systems, including microsatellites and nanosatellites, which are considered cost-effective tools for obtaining scientific and applied research results. International experience shows that the share of small satellites in Earth observation missions exceeds 30%, confirming the growing importance of nanosatellite-based monitoring technologies.

One of the key conditions for the effective operation of a spacecraft is ensuring a high-precision attitude control system. Stable three-axis orientation of a nanosatellite directly affects the quality of satellite imagery. It should be noted that the previously developed university nanosatellites al-Farabi-1 and al-Farabi-2 were successfully launched into orbit; however, they did not have high-precision attitude control systems or specialized Earth observation cameras, which limited their mission capabilities. The proposed project aims to eliminate these technical limitations.

The scientific novelty of the project is associated with the development of an integrated angular motion control system for the nanosatellite. The system is based on the combined use of magnetic actuators and reaction wheels. Magnetic torque coils will be used for angular velocity damping and coarse attitude control, while reaction wheels will enable high-precision stabilization of the spacecraft orientation.

During the research, modern control theory methods will be applied, including PID controllers, Linear Quadratic Regulation (LQR), root locus methods, robust controllers μ and H∞, Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), Model Predictive Control (MPC), as well as Bdot damping, sliding mode control, and adaptive control methods. The project is expected to increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the development from TRL-2 to TRL-4.

Within the project, algorithms will be developed for magnetic attitude control to ensure camera pointing accuracy within 3–5 degrees for a camera with 40-meter spatial resolution, and high-precision control algorithms using reaction wheels will be designed to achieve orientation accuracy better than 1 degree for a camera with 6-meter spatial resolution. In addition, an integrated control architecture will be created to synchronize the operation of two cameras with different spatial resolutions.

The research will employ mathematical modeling of nanosatellite angular motion dynamics, analytical and numerical methods for solving differential equations, including Runge–Kutta, Adams, and Milne methods, Hamilton–Jacobi formalism, Euler equations, quaternion-based representation of spacecraft orientation, and Lyapunov stability analysis methods. Simulation studies will be conducted using MATLAB/Simulink, MSC Marc, Dytran, and COMSOL Multiphysics software packages.

An important part of the project is international scientific cooperation with Professor Shinichi Nakasuka from the University of Tokyo, who is a globally recognized specialist in small spacecraft design. Under his supervision, experimental verification of the developed control algorithms will be conducted using high-precision laboratory test benches and real orbital data from operational nanosatellites.

The project is expected to contribute to the development of space engineering in Kazakhstan, establish scientific foundations for small satellite design, expand the commercialization potential of space technologies, and increase participation in international space research programs. The developed control system can be applied to environmental monitoring, pollution assessment of natural objects, water resource dynamics analysis, agricultural monitoring using remote sensing technologies, and rational natural resource management. The project implementation will result in the creation of an energy-efficient and high-precision nanosatellite attitude control system, improving the quality of space data and strengthening the scientific and technological potential of the country’s space industry.