Air-Bearing-Based Attitude Simulator for CubeSat Satellites

An open source air-bearing attitude simulator for complete 1U CubeSat. The platform is equipped with directional air nozzles that enable external torque generation in order to cancel out i) parasitic moments of inertia from the satellite’s enclosure and ii) error torque produced by imperfections. It is also capable of simulating disturbances in a space environment. Designs by Nemanja Jovanovi. Full details: Nemanja Jovanovic, Joshua M. Pearce, Jaan Praks. Design and Testing of a Low-Cost, Open Source, 3-D Printed Air-Bearing-Based Attitude Simulator for CubeSat Satellites. Journal of Small Satellites Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 859–880 (2019).

All of the design files in OpenSCAD and software can be downloaded for free from https://osf.io/k5zb8/ under a GPL v3 license.

In action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p265-RkLPEc