Multi-Terminal Attitude Manipulator Testbed

Abstract

Upcoming free-space optical communication missions will require simultaneous, multi-link operation using several optical terminals on small satellite platforms. Achieving submilliradian pointing stability under these conditions demands coordinated control of actuators with diverse bandwidths, ranges, and accuracy. This paper presents a multi-terminal attitude manipulator testbed, developed for hardware-in-the-loop validation of such systems. The setup combines precise attitude emulation, fine and coarse pointing assemblies, and real-time optical tracking emulation to evaluate sensor calibration, control allocation, and feed-forward compensation strategies. Experimental results demonstrate improved attitude knowledge propagation through online bias estimation, improved risk mitigation through microvibration testing, and stable offloading between fine and coarse actuators. The testbed provides a flexible, high-fidelity environment to validate distributed control and coordination concepts, bridging the gap between simulation and in-orbit testing for next generation optical communication networks.