Geoscan has completed in-orbit flight test program for InnoSat16 – the company’s first 16U-size CubeSat. This winter Geoscan’s small satellite development team and the Mission Control Center team successfully finished testing the attitude determination and control system (ADCS) onboard the satellite launched in July 2025. Following the tests, the satellite deployed its solar panels.
The ADCS is designed to precisely determine orientation of the satellite and provide the required conditions for payload operations. InnoSat16’s primary mission is Earth remote sensing. For this purpose, it is equipped with a panchromatic camera capable to achieve a 2.5-meter ground sampling distance from an orbital altitude of 500 km.
ADCS testing was carried out in stages. First, engineers confirmed the performance of the sensors — including sun sensors, a magnetometer, gyroscopes and a star tracker — as well as the actuators, such as reaction wheels and electromagnetic torquers. They then verified coordinate transformations from the sensors’ reference frames into the satellite body frame. After that, they activated attitude-determination algorithms and began recording telemetry to onboard memory. As recorded telemetry was analyzed, the attitude-determination algorithm parameters were refined iteratively and the procedure was repeated. Once the algorithm was tuned, the team enabled the reaction wheels to test active satellite control. Telemetry recording and analysis made it possible to fine-tune control parameters.
The final stage of testing included visual verification using the onboard camera called Cyclops. During ADCS checks InnoSat16 was pointed at a selected location on Earth while Cyclops captured the target area once per minute. These images helped engineers compare ADCS algorithm performance with the satellite’s actual orientation. After the ADCS software was validated, the satellite deployed its solar panels to ensure efficient battery charging.
Images of Earth’s surface captured by the Cyclops onboard camera during ADCS testing
The team is now adjusting the focus of the camera for Earth remote sensing and further refining ADCS algorithm parameters. Once these steps are complete, the CubeSat will be fully ready for operations and will begin delivering high spatial resolution imagery.
“Following the July launch, we tested and gradually commissioned the satellite’s onboard systems and payload. The first data we received confirmed that the selected technical solutions are performing as expected. We are now adjusting the focus of the camera and refining the parameters of the attitude-control algorithms. Going forward, we will begin using time-delay integration mode to achieve high spatial resolution under low-light conditions,” said Dmitry Borovitsky, Head of Space Development Department at Geoscan.