Case Study: Tessella achieves ECSS compliance and rapid AOCS development for Solar Orbiter with MathWorks

Tessella Designs Attitude and Orbit Control Algorithms for Solar Orbiter Spacecraft Using Model-Based Design

Tessella, working on the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter AOCS under Airbus and Terma, faced the challenge of designing attitude and orbit control algorithms that keep the spacecraft pointed within a few tenths of an arcsecond (and never more than 6.5° off‑Sun), despite unusual mass distribution, ~40 flexible modes, and disturbance torques. To meet stringent ECSS standards and accommodate evolving hardware requirements, Tessella used MathWorks’ Model‑Based Design tools—primarily MATLAB and Simulink—to prototype, tune, and specify the AOCS algorithms.

Using MathWorks software, Tessella modeled sensors, actuators (reaction wheels and thrusters with PWM), flexible dynamics, estimators, and control laws, and applied Control System Toolbox, Optimization Toolbox, Signal Processing Toolbox, Simulink Check, and Simulink Coverage to optimize performance, avoid resonances, and demonstrate ECSS compliance. The MathWorks‑based workflow produced a detailed software specification, enabled automated testing and long simulations, kept the project on schedule, and delivered measurable benefits—including ECSS compliance and model reuse that cut follow‑on design effort by up to 80%—with the flight software implementation currently undergoing testing ahead of launch.

Tessella

Andrew Pollard

Mathematical Modeler and Algorithm Developer