AVSLab/basilisk
Aug 2025 – Apr 2026
8 Months active
Languages Used
CC++PythonRSTreStructuredTextXML
Technical Skills
Aerospace EngineeringC++ DevelopmentControl SystemsEmbedded SystemsDocumentationMuJoCo
William Schwend
PROFILE
William Schwend
Developed advanced spacecraft control and simulation modules for the AVSLab/basilisk repository, focusing on attitude dynamics, joint actuation, and multi-spacecraft formation. Leveraged C++, Python, and MuJoCo to implement reusable control components, messaging structures, and analytics modules that enhance simulation fidelity and system integration. Delivered features such as velocity steering for VSCMGs, joint torque compensation, and thruster control, each supported by comprehensive unit tests and documentation. Addressed maintainability through targeted code refactoring and bug fixes, improving reliability and test coverage. Emphasized robust data exchange, realistic physics modeling, and modular architecture to support scalable, high-fidelity aerospace simulation and control workflows.
Overall Statistics
Feature vs Bugs
80%Features
Repository Contributions
63Total
Bugs
4
Commits
63
Features
16
Lines of code
6,755
Activity Months8
Your Network
21 peopleWork History
April 2026
4 Commits • 1 Features
Apr 1, 2026April 2026 monthly summary for AVSLab/basilisk. Implemented Thruster minimum fire time enforcement to prevent unrealistically short thruster pulses, accompanied by automated tests, documentation updates, and release notes. This feature improves control reliability, simulation realism, and user confidence, while aligning with release communication expectations. Four commits linked to issue #1370.
4 Commits • 1 Features
Apr 1, 2026April 2026 monthly summary for AVSLab/basilisk. Implemented Thruster minimum fire time enforcement to prevent unrealistically short thruster pulses, accompanied by automated tests, documentation updates, and release notes. This feature improves control reliability, simulation realism, and user confidence, while aligning with release communication expectations. Four commits linked to issue #1370.
April 2026
March 2026
9 Commits • 3 Features
Mar 1, 2026March 2026 (AVSLab/basilisk): Delivered crucial maintainability improvements, corrected control dynamics, and expanded simulation capabilities to enable more reliable operation and broader demonstration. Key features include cleanup of InertialCartFeedback for maintainability, a corrected ThrJointCompensation control law with updated tests, docs, and release notes, a new MuJoCo-based Spacecraft Thruster Arms example with tests and release notes, and the addition of SciPy to project requirements to enhance scientific computing capabilities. These changes reduce technical debt, improve control accuracy, expand benchmarking and training scenarios, and enable advanced computations for future work.
March 2026
9 Commits • 3 Features
Mar 1, 2026March 2026 (AVSLab/basilisk): Delivered crucial maintainability improvements, corrected control dynamics, and expanded simulation capabilities to enable more reliable operation and broader demonstration. Key features include cleanup of InertialCartFeedback for maintainability, a corrected ThrJointCompensation control law with updated tests, docs, and release notes, a new MuJoCo-based Spacecraft Thruster Arms example with tests and release notes, and the addition of SciPy to project requirements to enhance scientific computing capabilities. These changes reduce technical debt, improve control accuracy, expand benchmarking and training scenarios, and enable advanced computations for future work.
February 2026
19 Commits • 6 Features
Feb 1, 2026February 2026 focused on delivering feature-rich capabilities for AVSLab/basilisk with an emphasis on multi-spacecraft formation control, robust data exchange, and realistic simulation. Implemented new payload structures, torque compensation for thrusters, advanced translational feedback in inertial frames, and a MuJoCo-based simulation environment. No documented critical bug fixes this month; quality improvements were achieved through targeted unit tests and comprehensive documentation. These efforts collectively enhance control accuracy, fault isolation, and testing efficiency across the suite.
19 Commits • 6 Features
Feb 1, 2026February 2026 focused on delivering feature-rich capabilities for AVSLab/basilisk with an emphasis on multi-spacecraft formation control, robust data exchange, and realistic simulation. Implemented new payload structures, torque compensation for thrusters, advanced translational feedback in inertial frames, and a MuJoCo-based simulation environment. No documented critical bug fixes this month; quality improvements were achieved through targeted unit tests and comprehensive documentation. These efforts collectively enhance control accuracy, fault isolation, and testing efficiency across the suite.
February 2026
January 2026
7 Commits
Jan 1, 2026January 2026 - AVSLab/basilisk: Stability and physics accuracy improvements delivered via targeted bug fixes, expanded tests, and updated documentation. These changes enhance simulation reliability, velocity frame integrity, and attitude guidance outputs, delivering business value by reducing downstream risk and maintaining trust in the physics engine.
January 2026
7 Commits
Jan 1, 2026January 2026 - AVSLab/basilisk: Stability and physics accuracy improvements delivered via targeted bug fixes, expanded tests, and updated documentation. These changes enhance simulation reliability, velocity frame integrity, and attitude guidance outputs, delivering business value by reducing downstream risk and maintaining trust in the physics engine.
December 2025
10 Commits • 3 Features
Dec 1, 2025December 2025 monthly wrap-up for AVSLab/basilisk: Delivered critical enhancements to joint state messaging, modular torque control for hinged joint arrays, and a proactive joint motion compensator to stabilize spacecraft attitude in dynamic joint motion scenarios. The work strengthens simulation fidelity, reduces integration risk, and demonstrates robust testing and documentation practices.
10 Commits • 3 Features
Dec 1, 2025December 2025 monthly wrap-up for AVSLab/basilisk: Delivered critical enhancements to joint state messaging, modular torque control for hinged joint arrays, and a proactive joint motion compensator to stabilize spacecraft attitude in dynamic joint motion scenarios. The work strengthens simulation fidelity, reduces integration risk, and demonstrates robust testing and documentation practices.
December 2025
November 2025
6 Commits • 1 Features
Nov 1, 2025Month: 2025-11 — AVSLab/basilisk Concise monthly summary focused on delivering physics analytics capabilities and code quality improvements in the Basilisk project. Key features delivered: - MuJoCo Joint Reaction Forces Extraction: Implemented MJJointReactionForces module to extract joint reaction forces and torques from MuJoCo simulation scenes. Added a dedicated message payload, integrated with existing MuJoCo workflows, and prepared for broader analytics across spacecraft systems. Commits encompassed module creation, payload definition, documentation, and unit tests. Major bugs fixed: - MJSystemCoM Cleanup: Removed an unused variable vSum in the MJSystemCoM module, reducing code complexity and improving maintainability. Overall impact and accomplishments: - Expanded analytics capability for spacecraft joint dynamics, enabling more accurate performance assessments and design decisions. - Improved code health and maintainability through targeted cleanup and enhanced test coverage. - Prepared for deployment with updated release notes and comprehensive documentation. Technologies/skills demonstrated: - Module development and payload design for MuJoCo integration - Unit testing and documentation practices - Release-note preparation and maintenance-quality improvements Top 3-5 achievements: - Delivered MJJointReactionForces module with payload, docs, and unit tests, enabling extraction of joint reaction forces/torques from MuJoCo workflows. - Ensured pipeline compatibility and integration within existing MuJoCo workflows. - Removed unused vSum variable in MJSystemCoM module to simplify codebase and improve maintainability. - Updated release notes and module documentation to reflect the new feature. - Strengthened testing coverage for new module.
November 2025
6 Commits • 1 Features
Nov 1, 2025Month: 2025-11 — AVSLab/basilisk Concise monthly summary focused on delivering physics analytics capabilities and code quality improvements in the Basilisk project. Key features delivered: - MuJoCo Joint Reaction Forces Extraction: Implemented MJJointReactionForces module to extract joint reaction forces and torques from MuJoCo simulation scenes. Added a dedicated message payload, integrated with existing MuJoCo workflows, and prepared for broader analytics across spacecraft systems. Commits encompassed module creation, payload definition, documentation, and unit tests. Major bugs fixed: - MJSystemCoM Cleanup: Removed an unused variable vSum in the MJSystemCoM module, reducing code complexity and improving maintainability. Overall impact and accomplishments: - Expanded analytics capability for spacecraft joint dynamics, enabling more accurate performance assessments and design decisions. - Improved code health and maintainability through targeted cleanup and enhanced test coverage. - Prepared for deployment with updated release notes and comprehensive documentation. Technologies/skills demonstrated: - Module development and payload design for MuJoCo integration - Unit testing and documentation practices - Release-note preparation and maintenance-quality improvements Top 3-5 achievements: - Delivered MJJointReactionForces module with payload, docs, and unit tests, enabling extraction of joint reaction forces/torques from MuJoCo workflows. - Ensured pipeline compatibility and integration within existing MuJoCo workflows. - Removed unused vSum variable in MJSystemCoM module to simplify codebase and improve maintainability. - Updated release notes and module documentation to reflect the new feature. - Strengthened testing coverage for new module.
September 2025
7 Commits • 1 Features
Sep 1, 20252025-09 Monthly Summary for AVSLab/basilisk: Delivered the MJSystemCoM module to enable accurate extraction of the MuJoCo system center of mass (CoM) from simulations. The module provides initialization, state updates based on body masses and kinematic states, and output interfaces for C++ and C, with a focus on reliability and downstream analytics. Achieved strong collaboration between C++ core and cross-language interfaces, supported by tests and documentation.
7 Commits • 1 Features
Sep 1, 20252025-09 Monthly Summary for AVSLab/basilisk: Delivered the MJSystemCoM module to enable accurate extraction of the MuJoCo system center of mass (CoM) from simulations. The module provides initialization, state updates based on body masses and kinematic states, and output interfaces for C++ and C, with a focus on reliability and downstream analytics. Achieved strong collaboration between C++ core and cross-language interfaces, supported by tests and documentation.
September 2025
August 2025
1 Commits • 1 Features
Aug 1, 2025August 2025 — AVSLab/basilisk: Delivered the Velocity Steering Control Module for VSCMGs, enabling mapping from desired control torques to gimbal rates and wheel accelerations with initialization, reset, and state update routines. The module is designed as a modular, reusable component that integrates with the existing VSCMG control pipeline via input messages, improving attitude control responsiveness and reliability. This work lays the groundwork for upcoming calibrations and tuning and aligns with the system-level control architecture to support scalable spacecraft attitude control.
August 2025
1 Commits • 1 Features
Aug 1, 2025August 2025 — AVSLab/basilisk: Delivered the Velocity Steering Control Module for VSCMGs, enabling mapping from desired control torques to gimbal rates and wheel accelerations with initialization, reset, and state update routines. The module is designed as a modular, reusable component that integrates with the existing VSCMG control pipeline via input messages, improving attitude control responsiveness and reliability. This work lays the groundwork for upcoming calibrations and tuning and aligns with the system-level control architecture to support scalable spacecraft attitude control.
Activity
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Quality Metrics
Correctness95.2%
Maintainability92.0%
Architecture93.4%
Performance90.8%
AI Usage20.0%
Skills & Technologies
Programming Languages
CC++PythonRSTXMLreStructuredText
Technical Skills
Aerospace EngineeringC programmingC++C++ DevelopmentC++ developmentC++ programmingControl SystemsControl systemsDocumentationEmbedded SystemsMuJoCoMuJoCo IntegrationPythonPython integrationPython programming
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