The Arcus ADCS offers attitude determination and control in a compact package. The star tracker and the three reaction wheels give agility, pointing knowledge and pointing performance to CubeSats.

The system is endowed with 3 gyroscopes, 6 photodiodes, 3 magnetometers and one star tracker for precise attitude determination, while three reaction wheels and three magnetorquers provide agile attitude control.

Extensive ESA-validated simulations were run using a highly representative simulation environment to assess the performance and all components are vibration tested with loads representing typical CubeSat launchers. The reaction wheels have undergone accelerated lifetime tests in thermal vacuum, showing a lifetime of 3+ years.

The Arcus ADCS was launched on board of the SIMBA CubeSat in September 2020 and is fully functional.

The video below is a presentation by arcsec from the 2021 satsearch webinar: "a guide to selecting an ADCS for a small satellite mission". For more information about the webinar, and to see footage of the entire event, please click here