{"id":86433,"date":"2026-08-18T08:55:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T00:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/aspina-develops-reaction-wheel-lineup-for-small-satellites-and-cubesats\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T10:25:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T02:25:48","slug":"aspina-develops-reaction-wheel-lineup-for-small-satellites-and-cubesats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/aspina-develops-reaction-wheel-lineup-for-small-satellites-and-cubesats\/","title":{"rendered":"ASPINA Develops Reaction Wheel Lineup for Small Satellites and CubeSats"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ASPINA<\/p>\n

ASPINA <\/strong>is developing a lineup of reaction wheels (RWs) for small satellite constellations operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), covering five spacecraft classes: 10 kg-class CubeSats, 100 kg-class, 200 kg-class, 300 kg-class and 500 kg-class satellites. The RWs are designed to address demand for competitive cost, shorter lead times and reliable component supply as satellite constellations expand. ASPINA provides decades of supply-chain expertise and experience with automotive and consumer grade components while evaluating their suitability for space applications.<\/p>\n

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A reaction wheel consists primarily of a flywheel, electric motor and control board. By changing the flywheel’s rotational speed, it generates a reaction torque through conservation of angular momentum, allowing the spacecraft to control its attitude without propellant. The lineup includes the ARW-3m, ARW-0.35, ARW-1A, ARW-2 and ARW-12. The ARW-3m targets CubeSats with up to 3 mNms momentum and 1 mNm torque at 71 g, while the ARW-0.35 targets 100 kg-class satellites with 0.35 Nms and 15 mNm. The ARW-1A, ARW-2 and ARW-12 target 200 kg, 300 kg and 500 kg-class spacecraft, providing 1 Nms, 2 Nms and 12 Nms maximum momentum, respectively.<\/p>\n

Also Explore: 12 Nms Reaction Wheel for Space Missions<\/h4>\n

ASPINA’s reaction wheels are designed around the mechanical, electrical and environmental requirements of small spacecraft. The 100 kg-class wheel has a cylindrical flywheel approximately 10\u201325 cm in diameter, while the lineup incorporates features such as high-precision bearings, optimized control methods and precision flywheel balancing to reduce vibration that could affect observation and communications payloads. The wheels are evaluated for vibration, shock, temperature, vacuum and radiation conditions, with the current specifications including radiation tolerance of 30 krad TID for the lineup. Communication interfaces include I\u00b2C on the ARW-3m and RS485 on the larger models.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The company is also targeting short procurement cycles, with a stated objective of shipping reaction wheels within 2\u20133 months after receiving a purchase order. ASPINA’s Development Engineering Division established a dedicated reaction-wheel development team in 2019, covering market research, prototyping and testing. The company developed its approach in response to the limited availability of reaction wheels that could meet small-satellite requirements for cost and delivery time, using widely available consumer-grade electronic components while selecting and evaluating parts for space environments.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ASPINA has advanced the technology through industry and government-supported programmes. The 100 kg-class reaction wheel is being developed jointly with Japanese small-satellite manufacturer AXELSPACE, with the project selected by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) under its FY2020 R&D programme for low-cost, quick-delivery reaction wheels. The company is also developing a smaller CubeSat reaction wheel through an Ark Edge Space project adopted by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) under its FY2021 Space Utilization Promotion Research and Development programme.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ASPINA’s current technology information lists TRL 8 for the ARW-3m, ARW-0.35, ARW-1A and ARW-2, while the ARW-12 remains under development. The company lists the first ARW-3m units as launched in January 2025 and provides launch information for the other models as part of its ongoing space technology development. Through the expanding reaction-wheel portfolio, ASPINA aims to support spacecraft ranging from ultra-small CubeSats to several-hundred-kilogram satellites and contribute to the growth of constellation applications including disaster management, environmental monitoring, agriculture, urban development, transportation and distribution-network management.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>About ASPINA<\/u><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

ASPINA<\/em><\/strong> is the corporate brand of Shinano Kenshi, with technologies spanning motion control, motors, actuators and other precision engineering solutions. The space activities include reaction wheels for small satellites and CubeSats, alongside other guidance, navigation and control technologies. The company develops products for diverse industries by combining the expertise in precision engineering, electronics and control technologies. ASPINA also operates globally, supporting customers through the technology development and manufacturing capabilities.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ASPINA is developing a lineup of reaction wheels (RWs) for small satellite constellations operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), covering five spacecraft classes: 10 kg-class CubeSats, 100 kg-class, 200 kg-class, 300 kg-class and 500 kg-class satellites. The RWs are designed to address demand for competitive cost, shorter lead times and reliable component supply as satellite constellations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[65,81,20],"class_list":["post-86433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-actuators","tag-reaction-wheels","tag-satellite"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86433"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86433"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86438,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86433\/revisions\/86438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}