Attitude determination and control system (ADCS), together with on-board computer (OBC), communication system (COM) and electrical power system (EPS), represents one of the fundamental building blocks of nanosatellites.Attitude control is essential when the satellite carries, for example, a camera or a high-gain antenna. For CubeSats, reaction wheels or magnetorquers are typical components that enable the CubeSat to adjust its orientation.

Using reaction-based pneumatic propulsion system (RPPS) is not a conventional approach; however, in addition to adjusting the orientation, they can also induce linear motion, thereby influencing the orbit of the satellite.

The goal of the project was to demonstrate the use of an RPPS to control the orientation of a CubeSat. For the demonstration, a single axis was selected due to limited financial resources, time constraints, and the relative ease of testing under terrestrial conditions. An integral part of the ADCS is also gyroscope, which is used to determine angular position data.

Author

Antonin Putala, Dept. of Radio Electronics, Brno University of Technology, Czechia

Copyright

(c) 2026 Antonin Putala, This work is licensed under the terms of the MIT license