Cardinal Space Laboratory (CSL) was founded in 2018 at Iowa State University to incubate innovative research and educate engineers dedicated to the design, development, and operation of space systems. Through involving students in the full lifecycle of space missions, CSL tries to satisfy immediate request within the aerospace community for the cultivation of the next generation engineers for space system development.
CSL researches a wide spectrum of topics for the success of space missions and will conceive, incubate, and implement innovative missions to support space science.
Core capabilities of CSL span mission design, system construction, and technology development, and mission operations. CSL research focuses on the following topics:
- Optimal Estimation Theory and Applications: Orbit estimation, Attitude estimation, various sensor combinations
- Model Predictive Control and Application: Spacecraft attitude and orbit control ( formation, rendezvous )
- CubeSat project management: design, integration, testing, and operation of flight systems for space science and technology demonstration
- Space Flight Project Implementation: design, integration, testing, and operation of flight systems for space science and technology demonstration
Through its emphasis on space flight projects and technology advancement, ISSL provides undergraduates and graduate students with hands-on experience and real-world application of principles learned in the classroom and laboratory environments. From the initial mission concept development through detailed subsystem design, system-level testing and mission operations and data analysis, students are exposed to the full lifecycle of space flight projects. This experience positions the students to develop into system engineering leaders in the aerospace community.