Reaction control system
A reaction control system (RCS) is a spacecraft subsystem that uses small thrusters to provide attitude control (controlling the orientation of the spacecraft) and translation (moving the spacecraft in a specific direction). Unlike a main engine, which provides a large amount of thrust in one direction, an RCS consists of multiple small thrusters strategically placed around the spacecraft. By firing these thrusters in different combinations, the system can apply a small force or torque in any desired direction.
A typical RCS consists of several key components:
The 2023 NOA internship program entailed the replication of the BPS Space RCS Demo. The demo was originally built by Joe Barnard from YouTube. The project was intended to be an entry into aerospace engineering for NOA interns to give them a glimpse of the experience of building rocket and spacecraft subsystems. The team of interns that was led by Ryan Sendege was split into two teams:
The electrical team which included Bradley Tumwine, Arinitwe Joseph and Ian Beine worked on the electronic circuitry. They designed an avionics circuit that controlled whole system mainly using a Teensy 3.2 Microcontroller, solenoid valves and other supporting components.
The mechanical team included Ryan Sendege and Innocent Anywar who worked on the mechanical build that mostly consisted of a PVC pipe, 3D printed frame and tubing.
With the help of Camille Dardass, an aerospace engineer from France and supervision from David Tusubira and Navneet Singh, the team was able to achieve single axis balance after many iterations that were aided by MATLAB simulations.
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