GNC Platform

Space Inventor’s GNC platform is a fully integrated, flight-proven system combining all sensors, actuators and control software required for precise spacecraft attitude and orbit control. Built exclusively from Space Inventor hardware and software, this modular suite offers a complete in-house solution tailored to diverse mission requirements, from agile CubeSats to high-precision MicroSats operating in LEO, MEO or GEO.

At its core, the GNC solution uses the AOCS Computer (OBC-P4) running Space Inventor algorithms for sensor fusion, guidance and closed-loop control. The number, type and configuration of sensors and actuators are fully customizable per mission.

Core functionality includes attitude determination via fused star tracker, IMU, magnetometer and fine sun sensor data using Extended Kalman Filtering; attitude control using reaction wheels for fine manoeuvres and magnetorquers for momentum management, with multiple advanced control modes (Nadir, Velocity, ECI, safe sun pointing, sun pointing, bore axis pointing, inertial pointing, limb tracking, target tracking, ground station tracking, push broom imaging); GNSS-based orbit determination; automatic momentum unloading; and a Hierarchical State Machine / FDIR framework for autonomous fault detection and recovery.

Subcomponents include the AOCS Computer (OBC-P4 + AOCS SW, quad-core ARM Cortex-M7), GNC actuators (WHL-P4 reaction wheels, MT magnetorquer rods, optional 3rd-party propulsion interface), GNC sensors (ASTRO-CL/SFC star trackers, FSS fine sun sensors, IMU-P4, GNSS-P3 receivers), and power/communication infrastructure (PDU-P4 units with latch-up protection and integrated CAN). The system achieves arcsecond attitude determination and high-precision control, verified across flight-proven Space Inventor missions in both LEO and GEO, scaling from 10 kg CubeSats up to 200+ kg MicroSats.