SOLIS 11.7 is loaded with new features

SOLIS 11.7 is a multifaceted release, completing over 450 development tickets across SOLIS, MAX Flight Software, and MAX DevTool.

Some of the highlights in this long list of features are:

• GUI data is now saved in an XML format within the "sls" directory of the satellite. This is a major enhancement over the previous binary format (*.sls), which presented challenges for configuration management and collaborative development. SOLIS scenarios (sls\*.xml) can now be controlled with configuration management software, such as git to provide rapid change tracking and control. The new XML format also moves away from monolithic saving, where configurations were built piece-wise or manually edited without going through the GUI. See SOLIS Data Saving for more information.
• The DevTool 2019a upgrade includes over 50 improvements for the DevTool, including support for Template Classes, improved Base-Classing, ability to share parameter structures across interfaces, and parameter min/max and mutate protection logic. See the MAX DevTool XML Guide for full details on new features.
• The Mission Sequence Editor and Target Planner now support issuing multiple Flight JAS commands on a single frame. The maximum number of commands to allow on a single frame is configurable.
• The interfaces that relate to Actuators and Sensors have received a major overhaul. The new system is much cleaner for anyone interacting with these items or creating Hardware Drivers. It is also more robust to various types of configurations, such as multiple Actuator Sets of the same type.
• SOLIS now supports the configuration of 3-axis IMU sensors, in addition to the previous 1-axis Rate (RTE) sensors. All example scenarios have been converted to contain IMUs instead of RTEs, as this type of sensor is much more common. IMU sensors can optionally include accelerometers.
• Panel properties are now common between environments modeling (aerodynamic and solar pressure) and power/thermal, which means you can now model aerodyamic and solar pressure on gimbaled surfaces. Panels are currently created from the Power/Thermal Panels page, which will likely be relocated in a future SOLIS release.
• The thruster configuration GUI has been reworked so that it is no longer limited to 1, 4, or 8 thrusters. On the Mass/Propellant/Vehicle State page, you can now define propellant tanks with links to thrusters. This supports configuration of mono-prop, bi-prop, or any other type of thruster and propellant setup.
• The power and thermal subsystems are now written from the MAX DevTool. This substantially cleans-up these systems so that they are consistent with the ADCS system in style and nomenclature. This also makes these systems more expandable, interchangeable, and modifiable, by documenting the interfaces and making the components more objective.
• In addition to the previously-modeled reaction wheel power, you can now model power consumption of Thrusters, Magnetic Torquers, and Gimbals.
• A new algorithm exists within each FSC_SenProc_MAG component for calibrating a magnetometer on-orbit.
• A new component can make the MAX Flight Software robust to IMU failures. This component is not instantiated by default, but can be added using the Advanced Configuration Page to add a FSW_SenProc_RTE_Virtual component. The basis of this algorithm uses Kalman Filter updates in conjuction with Feed Forward torque estimation to create the estimated angular rates of the spacecraft.
• Supports slews of greater than 180 degrees.
• Point Tracking modes to a Surface-Relative Velocity vector (for entry applications) and an External Guidance Vector where you can design algorithms that implement custom guidance vectors.

In addition, there are two new example scenarios. The first new Example Scenario shows how to test other Flight Software within the STK environment, such as something auto-coded from MATLAB Simulink. The second new Example Scenario walks you through creating, configuring, and exercising a new component (Virtual Gyro) using the MAX DevTool and Visual Studio.

To learn more about the product, see the SOLIS Brochure. To learn more about each SOLIS release, see the  Release Notes.

If you are ready to evaluate SOLIS, contact info@agi.com.