The EXTREMA Thruster-In-The-Loop Experiment: a facility for hands-on testing of spacecraft guidance algorithms

The EXTREMA THruster-In-the-Loop Experiment (ETHILE) is a facility designed for testing the effectiveness and robustness of spacecraft guidance algorithms through hardware actuation. Initially designed to simulate in an accelerated framework the actuation of interplanetary transfers with low-thrust, the system is highly configurable as it can simulate different thruster behaviours with a thruster balance equipped with a compressed air nozzle. An overview of the system and its performance is given, highlighting through a practical example its possible use for research and educational purposes.