What does it take to point a spacecraft with only one thruster? In this episode, we dive into the engineering behind DeepSpace‑2’s gimbal system: a mechanical interface that enables directional control for our electric propulsion. GNC Engineer Emerson and Flight Software Engineer Kieran walk us through how they built the software, math, and lookup tables needed to command the gimbal, and why the complexity goes far deeper than just “move this motor.”
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What does it take to point a spacecraft with only one thruster? In this episode, we dive into the engineering behind DeepSpace‑2’s gimbal system: a mechanical interface that enables directional control for our electric propulsion. GNC Engineer Emerson and Flight Software Engineer Kieran walk us through how they built the software, math, and lookup tables needed to command the gimbal, and why the complexity goes far deeper than just “move this motor.”
In this week's episode, we get into what vibration testing actually does for a spacecraft, and what happens when it reveals problems you didn’t plan for. Structures Engineer Wesley joins us to break down how Odin performed on the shaker, what failed, and how those lessons shaped our approach for our upcoming mission, Vestri. From fixture design to broken fasteners, this episode is a candid assessment of testing under fast timelines and tight margins.
Roid Rage
What does it take to point a spacecraft with only one thruster? In this episode, we dive into the engineering behind DeepSpace‑2’s gimbal system: a mechanical interface that enables directional control for our electric propulsion. GNC Engineer Emerson and Flight Software Engineer Kieran walk us through how they built the software, math, and lookup tables needed to command the gimbal, and why the complexity goes far deeper than just “move this motor.”
