A testbed that simulates space conditions in a terrestrial laboratory is essential for evaluating, verifying, and teaching attitude control in nanosatellites. The control methodology applied dictates the configuration of each testbed, and highlights the need for an appropriate system for such tests. This study presents the development and validation of a spherical testbed designed to simulate the space environment, which includes a decentralized architecture ADCS module. This architecture allows for reduced time between the Model-in-the-Loop and Hardware-in-the-Loop phases, as well as facilitating high-level programming for evaluating attitude control algorithms based on reaction wheels. To validate the testbed, both point-to-point and tracking maneuvers were implemented and evaluated using the following algorithms: traditional PID control, feedback control, and a robust adaptive controller developed by Boskovic. Additionally, the system’s mathematical model was constructed, and its validity was confirmed through maximum likelihood estimation of the equation-error using the controller results. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of this testbed, which is both extendable and accessible for evaluating reaction wheel-based attitude control algorithms. However, the study also identifies limitations and outlines directions for future work. Notably, in ground-based tests, the torques generated by gravity gradient are unknown and difficult to counteract, complicating the control of the roll and pitch axes.

Inertial navigation systems (INS) are widely used in commercial aviation, maritime navigation, and unmanned vehicle guidance. However, these systems are often sensitive, costly, and challenging to access. To address these limitations, an open-source, low-cost platform named INS OpenNavSense has been developed. This platform is built using FreeRTOS, an open-source real-time operating system (RTOS) that enables the microcontroller to run parallel individual threads (tasks), providing a practical and effective tool for implementing estimation algorithms that compensate for the use of low-cost microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors instead of high-end sensors in professional INS. The main contribution of this work is the introduction of a FreeRTOS-based platform, which facilitates independent management of computational and processing tasks. The platform incorporates accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, Global Positioning System (GPS) module, and barometer sensors. Sensor data is calibrated and filtered to enhance accuracy, offering researchers a robust and reliable tool for testing their estimation algorithms. To validate this platform, the open-source Mahony library was used for attitude and heading reference system estimation, demonstrating the types of algorithms that can be tested. Tests were conducted with a drone carrying the platform as payload, and results from this low-cost INS were compared to the drone’s INS, showing both similarity and viability as a development platform.

This paper presents a comprehensive technology-oriented review of aerospace development in Peru, integrating historical scientific infrastructure, suborbital experimentation, orbital satellite missions, and a systematic literature review of contemporary engineering research. Beyond a descriptive historical account, the study evaluates national aerospace capabilities from a system-engineering perspective, emphasizing technology readiness levels (TRL), subsystem integration, and validation environments. A regional comparison based on UNOOSA, CelesTrak, and nanosatellite databases contextualizes Peru’s orbital activity within South America. Furthermore, a systematic literature review using the PRISMA 2020 methodology was performed covering the period 2000–2025. The systematic literature review identifies nine major aerospace research lines, quantifies institutional participation through bibliometric analysis, and assigns TRLs using consistent criteria derived from reported experimental and operational evidence. The results reveal a fragmented yet progressively maturing ecosystem, characterized by strong analytical and laboratory-level capabilities (TRL 2–5) but limited system-level integration and flight-qualified developments (TRLs $N\ge 6$). These findings highlight structural gaps in program continuity, test infrastructure, and transition mechanisms from academic prototyping to operational aerospace systems. Overall, this work establishes a technology assessment baseline for an emerging space nation, providing evidence-based insights relevant to aerospace engineering, technology management, and capacity-building strategies in developing space ecosystems.

Photogrammetry nowadays is one of the most popular 3D techniques due to its low cost and efficiency. The development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) allows acquiring aerial images for 3D models through photogrammetry that has many applications in topography, architecture, archaeology, and especially in agriculture. This paper aims to present guidelines for a photogrammetry mission with the DJI Phantom 4 Pro (P4P) for crop phenotyping. In the article, an experimental validation for the theoretical equation of the ground sample distance(GSD) and a flight mission over the “Agricultural Research, Education and Production Center” (CIEPA) at Majes-Arequipa is presented. In addition, the article presents the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and orthophoto as photogrammetry products. Finally, the end of the article discusses the utility of the concerning results and future improvements to measure other kinds of phenotypes.

The paper introduces the design and simulation of the IS501NMTB magnetic test-bed, which utilizes three Helmholtz coils controlled by three independent ITECH IT6433 DC power sources and a MAG649L magnetometer. The goal is to perform in-the-loop simulations to test detumbling and nadir-pointing attitude control algorithms for the GWSAT mission, as well as to assess the capability of the IS501NMTB to characterize the magnetic dipole of small satellites using perturbation observers. A mathematical model based on RL circuits and the Biot–Savart law is employed and validated with experimental data measured in 2021 and 2024, demonstrating parameter variations over time. Additionally, closed-loop PID, adaptive PID, and MRAC control algorithms were tested for canceling Earth’s magnetic field and simulating Earth’s magnetic field at the GWSAT orbit using the IGRF-13 model. The results obtained from these simulations are analyzed and compared using error integration and control integration metrics to determine whether the use of adaptive controllers is advantageous in this application.