Lead
Carlos Poceiro
Department Leader
LEAer · Year 3 · IST
All departments
ADCS
Attitude Determination & Control System
This department makes sure the satellite knows where it is and where it's going — from precise orientation to trajectory planning, we simulate and control every move.
On LISAT-01
Keeps the AIS antenna pointed at the ocean and the satellite stable enough for a usable downlink.
What we do
Inside the department
The department is built on two pillars: attitude control and orbital mechanics.
In attitude control, the mission is to orient and stabilise the satellite using mechanical systems, aligning its sensors and antennas with the Earth so data can be received and transmitted in real time.
In orbital mechanics, we calculate and simulate optimal orbits for the satellite’s operation, and we model the return to Earth by computing orbit decay and re-entry trajectories.
Engineering areas
- Control theory
- Orbital mechanics
- MATLAB
- Python
- Sensor fusion
Key responsibilities
Attitude determination from sensor measurements
Attitude control algorithms and actuator sizing
Orbit determination and propagation
Orbit decay and re-entry analysis
Simulation, validation and hardware-in-the-loop testing
People
8 people in ADCS
Department leader
Team members
Alexandre Araújo
Sensor Calibration
LEMec · Year 3 · IST
Carolina Cavaco
Team Member
LEAer · Year 2 · IST
Filipe Cavaco
Attitude Determination & HW Specific Implementations
MEAer · Year 4 · IST
Filippo Bortoli
Software Building
MEIC · Year 4 · IST
Guilherme Vaz
Attitude Control
LEAer · Year 3 · IST
Joining this department
What new members work on
Typical first tasks
- Sensor integration support
- Algorithm testing
- Simulation and validation
Useful to have
- Control
- MATLAB / Python
- Testing
Join us
Want to work on ADCS?
Applications open once or twice a year. Tell us what you want to build and we will let you know when the next cycle starts.