Experimental Magnetometer Calibration for Nanosatellites’ Navigation System

Abstract

This article deals with the problem of Earth’s magnetic field sensors calibration in the context of low-cost nanosatellites’ navigation systems. The attitude of space vehicles can be determined from the state estimation using information from three-axis inertial and non-inertial sensors. This study considers a three-axis solid-state magnetometer. In the vehicle itself, the presence of ferrous materials and electronic devices creates disturbances, distorting the measured field. The sensor precision can be enhanced through calibration methods which calculate the systematic error. The objective here is to study and implement calibration combining a geometric method and the TWOSTEP algorithm. The methodology is based on numerical simulations, with the development of a database of the Earth’s magnetic field along the vehicle orbit, and experimental tests using a nanosatellite mockup, containing an embedded processor Arduino MEGA 2560 platform and the magnetometer HMC5843.

Keywords

• Nanosatellites
• Attitude
• Navigation systems
• Magnetometer calibration
• TWOSTEP algorithm