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CubeSat Magnetorquer
Recently I started a project called “Mission Cube” with the goal of launching an opensource 1U CubeSat to Low Earth Orbit. We are trying to lower the cost of building a CubeSat by attempting to use off of the shelf parts. Currently, I have been working on the development of the Cubesat magnetorquer. The purpose of a magnetorquer is to take advantage of Earth’s magnetic field to re-orient a CubeSat. The Magnetorquer was quite challenging to test since originally I just connected it to a battery and a string I had connected to the ceiling. However, I couldn’t quite tell if it was working, so I controlled it using an Arduino and a infrared remote to see if I could control it so I could know exactly how well it worked. I even constructed a large cardboard box so then I could be sure it wouldn’t be impacted by air currents. You can see this test in the attached image below. In addition to that test, I needed to test it to see if I could alternate a current through it, which would be necessary to reorient a CubeSat. I connected it to an Arduino H bridge and alternated the current, the test was successful. I placed a compass next to it to see if it was working you can watch the test here: https://youtube.com/shorts/SRBDnykFiRg?feature=share
For the project, I did create a website MissionCube.org however currently I still have a bit more coding to do before the site is fully up
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Your projects are inspiring and impressive Alexander – thanks for sharing your thought processes and findings!
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Thank you!
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