Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS)

The 3rd Generation 1.5U CubeSat designed at Los Alamos National Laboratory contains a compact 3-axis attitude determination and control system (ADCS) to support the pointing requirements of a deployable high-gain antenna. Designed to support on-orbit operations for a compact class of CubeSat satellites, the ADCS module incorporates a momentum wheel system; magnetic torque rods; and a miniature, intelligent star tracker.

The Challenge

Miniaturized satellite platforms such as 1.5U CubeSats present significant constraints in power, volume, and cost while requiring high-precision attitude control to support mission-critical functions like communications, imaging, and navigation. Traditional ADCS solutions are often too bulky, power-hungry, or expensive for such small satellites.

Problems Solved:

• Overcomes sensor drift, limited power consumption, and physical constraints
• Reduces launch costs and development turnaround times
• Reduces drift and improves sensor reliability by integrating diverse attitude sensing modalities (magnetometers, sun vector sensors, gyroscopes, and a star-field sensor)

• Optimal positioning for solar power generation, communication and instrumentation
• Improved sun sensors to calculate sun vector
• Harmonizes sensor input with onboard control mechanisms

• Defense and National Security
• Commercial Satellites
• Navigation Systems
• Space Research
• Telecommunications