arcsec is a spin-off company from KU Leuven University in Belgium. The company provides attitude determination and control systems, including fully autonomous ADCS solutions and standalone star trackers and reaction wheels.
In this article we discuss their growth over the last 12 months, look ahead to the company’s plans and ambitions in 2024, and share further information about their portfolio.
Contents
- arcsec’s growth in 2023
- arcsec’s ambitions for 2024
- Insights from the supply chain
- arcsec’s portfolio
- Further reading
arcsec in 2023
We asked arcsec what the company’s biggest wins in 2023 were. They replied with the following information:
We started the DeDUST project and won an EIC Accelerator Grant for our work.
With DeDUST, we will give space debris detection capability to our star trackers, which allows us to build a scalable network of space-based Space Situational Awareness (SSA) sensors.
Next to that, we significantly increased our sales, compared to 2022.
arcsec in 2024
arcsec also shared the company’s strategic aims and ambitions for this year:
In 2024 we are further developing the DeDUST project and we have several IOD missions to demonstrate our star trackers and reaction wheels in orbit.
We are also building a fully autonomous, integrated ADCS.
Insights from the supply chain
Some further thoughts and insights from arcsec:
Our advice to engineers on the benefits that arcsec’s portfolio brings to missions:
Our Twinkle star trackers are extremely compact and have a low strain on the satellite budgets, while delivering high attitude knowledge. There is no reason anymore not to consider a star tracker for your mission 😊
Our Zyra reaction wheels will be on the market by Q2 2024. They have low microvibrations, high-precision control and are almost not impacted by zero-crossings.
arcsec’s portfolio
This section includes a variety of arcsec’s products and services available on the global market today. Click on the links to open pages with more detail on each system.
You can then make requests for quotes, documents, or further information, and we’ll handle these for you (find out more about how this simple process works on this page). You can also submit an open tender here and our expert procurement team will get back to you ASAP.
The arcsec Arcus ADCS is an attitude determination and control system designed for precise control in a compact package. The system features 3 gyroscopes, 6 photodiodes, 3 magnetometers, and 1 star tracker for attitude determination along with 3 reaction wheels and 3 magnetorquers for agile attitude control.
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The arcsec Twinkle Star Tracker is a CubeSat star tracker designed to offer arc second range pointing accuracy, based on custom algorithms that have been optimized for precision, robustness, and low computational cost.
The arcsec Sagitta star tracker offers arc second range pointing accuracy to CubeSats. The custom algorithms are optimized for accuracy, robustness and low computational cost. The star tracker has a built-in baffle to reduce the effect of stray light. The system is compact and easy to interface in CubeSats and large satellites.
The arcsec Star simulator is designed for space applications. It allows carrying out hardware-in-the-loop tests with arcsec's star trackers. The simulator allows to generate a variety of star images with realistic noise sources and rotational rates. A custom lens ensures that the image is displayed to the star tracker as it would be in Space.
The arcsec Zyra reaction wheel is a compact, low micro vibrations reaction wheel for CubeSats up to 12U. The wheel is equipped with custom drive electronics and internal speed control to offer high rotational speed accuracy and stability. The wheel is radiation-shielded and is offered with its mounting on 3 different planes for flexible integration.
A pointing performance analysis is a crucial document in every satellite mission. Using advanced simulation tools, arcsec provides you with a complete and detailed analysis document specifically for your satellite.
Further reading
The links below will take you to other satsearch resources where you can learn more about some of the topics mentioned on this page: