The Arcus ADCS offers high-precision attitude determination and control prioritizing reliability and autonomy. Building on the flight‑proven heritage of arcsec’s earlier ADCS developments, this second‑generation system combines our robust, in‑house star tracker and precision-engineered reaction wheels with advanced estimation and control algorithms. Together with a flexible guidance, estimation, and control architecture, Arcus provides agility, pointing accuracy, and reliability for CubeSats and SmallSats.
Overview
Specifications
| Parameter | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Name | Arcus | |
| Company | arcsec | |
| Category | Integrated ADCS | |
| CubeSat form factor | Yes | |
| Flight proven | No | |
| TRL | — | |
| Mechanical | ||
| Dry Mass Main module only; excluding external components. | 0.45kg | |
| Envelope Shape Main module only; excluding external components. | Cuboid | |
| Length Main module only; excluding external components. | 94mm | |
| Width Main module only; excluding external components. | 92mm | |
| Height Main module only; excluding external components. | 50mm | |
| Electrical | ||
| Input Voltage (Nominal) | 12V | |
| Data Interfaces Alternative communication interfaces. | CAN, RS-485 | |
| Performance | ||
| Angular Momentum (Maximum) 4RW configuration. | 0.0623N m s | |
| Control Torque (Maximum) 4RW configuration. | ≤0.0046N m | |
| Integrated Sensors Fine/coarse sun sensing configurations are alternatives. | Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Sun sensor, Star tracker | |
| Pointing Accuracy 4RW configuration; hi-fidelity simulator, inertial, nadir and LLA pointing, single star tracker. | <97arcsec(3σ) | |
| Pointing Knowledge Both 3RW and 4RW configurations; hi-fidelity simulator, inertial, nadir and LLA pointing, single star tracker. | <70arcsec(3σ) | |
| ADCS Control Modes Other modes stated: desaturation, slewing, and 3-axis fine pointing; autonomous mode management. | Detumbling, Safe mode, Other | |
| Integrated Actuators | Reaction wheel, Magnetorquer | |
| Magnetorquer Count | 3 | |
| Star Tracker Count | ≤4 | |
| Reaction Wheel Count | 3–4 | |
| Pricing and procurement | ||
| Customization / NRE | Unknown | |
Files
Datasheet PDF · 1.5 MB · Nov 3, 2026
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