.. Copyright (c) 2026, Autonomous Vehicle Systems Lab, University of Colorado at Boulder

Version 2.8 Release Notes
=========================

.. _bsk-release-2-8-0:

Version 2.8.0 (August 30, 2025)
-------------------------------

- Marked the use of python 3.8 as deprecated
- Support for ``opNavMode`` flag within vizSupport was removed, as its deprecation period ended
- Demo video was added to :ref:`scenarioQuadMaps` documentation
- Pinned python dependencies to avoid issues with new package versions.
- Updated :ref:`vscmgStateEffector` documentation.
- Added a new :ref:`vscmgGimbalRateServo` module that computes the VSCMG wheel motor torque and gimbal motor torque.
- Added a new :ref:`vscmgVelocitySteering` module that computes the desired VSCMG wheel accelerations and gimbal rates.
- Added a new github workflow job ``canary`` to routinely check the compatibility of latest python dependencies with python 3.13 on the latest mac-os.
- Deprecated :ref:`SpacecraftSystem`.  It was never completed and we have other ways to connect spacecraft components
- Allow event conditions and effects to be defined by functions. This is preferred over the old string-based method, as it
  enables the use of arbitrary packages and objects in events and allows for event code to be parsed by IDE tools.
- Add a sun message input and ``theta_solar`` threshold to :ref:`SpacecraftLocation`.
- Fixed an issue where DynamicObject classes computed time steps by differencing double values rather
  than ``uint64_t`` values in nanoseconds.  This could cause micro drifts in the integration process.  See
  `Issue 993 <https://github.com/AVSLab/basilisk/issues/993>`_ for more info on this issue.  Now the time step is computed
  using ``uint64_t`` time values and then converted to a double.
- Enhance how ``uint64_t`` values are converted to doubles.  BSK now warns if the time value is large enough such
  that the conversion method has a loss of precision in this process.
- Support including an eclipse message in :ref:`SpacecraftLocation` to more accurately determine illumination.
- Fixed an issue where the :ref:`spaceToGroundTransmitter` would check for the amount of data remaining in a different partition than the one being downlinked.
- Fixed an issue where a high baud rate prevented the :ref:`spaceToGroundTransmitter` from downlinking data from the :ref:`simpleStorageUnit` or :ref:`partitionedStorageUnit`.
- Updated default Windows compiler to be ``Visual Studio 17 2022``.  The CI test build now occurs on Windows 11.

  .. warning::

    If you still want to use Visual Studio 16, then be sure to set the generator
    using ``python conanfile.py --generator "Visual Studio 16 2019``

- Improve reading speed of recorded messages by about 75%.
- Added support for Vizard 2.3.0
- Adds support for updating noise parameters in :ref:`simpleNav` during simulation
- Redirected MuJoCo errors and warnings to :ref:`bskLogging` instead of printing to file.
- Update :ref:`vizSupport`  for the ``saveFile`` argument to take an explicit
  file path and file name and not auto-generate the ``_VizFiles`` sub-folder.  This provides the
  user more direct control where and how the simulation data is saved.
- Support calling ``unsubscribe`` on input messages.
- Fixed an issue where the :ref:`forceTorqueThrForceMapping` module's Reset() function did not zero all thruster settings correctly.
- Updated ``canary`` workflow to run on all pull requests to the develop branch, providing feedback on compatibility with latest dependencies.
- Added links to published paper in :ref:`oneAxisSolarArrayPoint` documentation.
- Converted RW data structures in ``reactionWheelStateEffector`` to shared pointers instead of raw pointers.
- The ``BSKLogger`` now raises a ``BasiliskError`` (``Basilisk.architecture.bskLogging.BasiliskError``)
  if something is logged at ``BSK_ERROR`` level. Certain errors are reduced to ``BSK_WARNING`` to reflect
  the new behavior.
- Improve reading speed of recorded messages by 1-4 orders of magnitude.

  .. warning::

    This is a breaking change, see list of known issues for details. Please report any issues
    (at buildtime or runtime) with recorders for custom payloads.
- Support initialization of fields in the constructor of message payloads (in Python).
- Improve string representation of message payloads (in Python).
- Add support for pretty-printing message payloads (in Python).
- Updated documentation and all scenarios to use new payload constructor format.
- Add :ref:`scenarioBranchingPanels`, which showcases a branching solar array configuration, staged deployment,
  and joint locking when panels are stowed or fully deployed.
- Bugfix: joint velocity not being reported correctly in ``MJScalarJoint``.
- Add ``addJointSingleActuator`` to ``MJScene``. This can be used to add actuators acting on joints
  to a MuJoCo-based simulation (e.g. motors that produce torque).
- Add method to scalar joints class to get to the equality constraint object that can be used to constrain
  the joint to a specific value (``MJScalarJoint::getConstrainedEquality``).
- Add methods ``setSolref`` and ``setSolimp`` to ``MJEquality`` to enable control of the solver parameters
  that control how the equalities are enforced in MuJoCo.
- Add PID controller models for ``MJScene``. Currently implemented ``JointPIDController``, which can read the state
  of a joint and output a torque to act on said joint to achieve a desired angle and angular velocity.