picosatellite

The goal of this project is to create a functional 3-Axis reaction wheel system for CubeSats through Cal Poly CubeSat Lab based off of preliminary design and research done by a previous Cal Poly masters student. A CubeSat is a very small satellite, around the size of a loaf of bread, that is developed and launched into space for education, research, or scientific purposes. A reaction wheel is a critical component of attitude (or orientation) control of a satellite that consists of a flywheel attached to a motor. When spun, the reaction wheel imparts a change in momentum (or impulse) on the satellite in order to adjust the satellite’s attitude in all three axes of orientation.