Printed Circuit Magnetorquer for a PocketQube Satellite

PocketQube satellites are increasingly employed as platforms for student-led technology demonstrations. This paper presents the design and characterization of a custom printed circuit board magnetorquer (PCB-MTQ) tailored to PocketQube standards, offering reduced mass, volume, and manufacturing complexity compared to conventional coils. The proposed 33-turn square-spiral PCB-MTQ is designed to maximize the torque-to-power ratio. Its performance is experimentally benchmarked against a custom wire-wound air-core magnetorquer of comparable dipole moment using Helmholtz coils, confirming the achievable magnetic field strengths and torque generation. Simulations demonstrate the feasibility of the PCB-MTQ for single-axis attitude control within the stringent power budget of a PocketQube.