MADS 3D Dynamic Simulator

The dynamic simulator provides a HITL (Hardware In The Loop) test set for the MAI-400 which verifies and validates all software and hardware functions in a bench top setting. In the industry this is called a flatsat simulation. Flatsats are essential to develop and debug the ADACS software prior to launch. The concept is to simulate the dynamics of the satellite and the space environment in real time on a PC that is connected closed loop to the MAI-400 through the same electrical interfaces present on the spacecraft. The PC thus appears to the MAI-400 as the actual space vehicle and it endeavors to control the attitude of the simulated spacecraft. Actual MAI-400 actuator outputs, e.g. RWA speeds and magnetic torquer fields are sent to the PC where they are used to compute the dynamic response of the spacecraft.