Intro | MCS
A new age is upon us
About MCS
The Arcturus MCS is designed as a CubeSat chassis with slots to insert modules of dimensions (9.8cmx18cmx9.8cm). A proprietary general-purpose connector which supports up to 32 signal lines ensures compatibility with a wide range of equipment and sensors for power and data transfer.
Core systems, including power, communication, and data storage, are pre-installed and shared among all modules, reducing user effort and technical expertise needed. We also offer a range of premade and pre-certified modules with common functions such as imaging and payload deployment which can be purchased by customers and directly integrated into the MCS, further simplifying the setup process and lowering the barrier to entry for users with limited technical knowledge. (See technical handbook for specifications)
To ensure that our CubeSat can be launched using the services provided by commercial launch providers, various aspects of our CubeSat, such as weight and size, must fit within the parameters specified by the latest CubeSat specifications (CubeSat Information.), which gives specifications based on the size of the CubeSat, measured in units of 10 cm10cm10cm, our CubeSat is an 8U CubeSat, measuring 20cm20cm20cm. During the CAD design process, we have ensured specifically that our CubeSat fits within a volume of 8U, has a maximum weight of less than 9.6kg and includes standardized rails for integration into the launch system on the external chassis. Therefore, our CubeSat does fit within the current CubeSat specifications and can be certified, integrated and delivered into orbit through the services of most current launch providers.
Official Website: https://arcturusaero.tech/
Modules
Pre-made and pre-certified standard modules are available at Arcturus; buying pre-made modules can further shorten the time of deployment to 4 months.
Custom defined 32 pin data transmission port provides stable and high-speed connection between the module and the MCS; definition of the port would be provided for any customers looking forward to custom their own modules
Issue Addressed
The two major issues this innovation address are:
The current cost barrier for small-scale research teams and companies to design and deploy satellite platforms
The current amount of time for certification/delivery of the satellite into the orbit
With advancements in launch technologies, the cost per kilogram to deliver payloads into Earth orbit has significantly decreased, going as low as $2,720 with launch provider SpaceX (The Recent Large Reduction).
Due to these developments and advances in small satellite technologies, space-related research and operations have increased, driving growth in the small satellite market. The global market is projected to grow from $5.2 billion in 2024 to $11.2 billion by 2029, representing a 16.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) (Small Satellite Market Size). Investor interest is also high, with aerospace startups receiving $1.9 billion in funding in Q3 2024, marking a 20% increase from the previous year (Sriram).
A pain point for consumers amid this growing market, especially university research teams with limited funding, is that the costs to develop, construct, certify and launch a small satellite is still much too expensive.
A pain point for consumers, especially ones with limited funding, is that developing, constructing, certifying, and launching a small satellite is still too expensive. Constructing a basic 1U (10cm10cm10cm) CubeSat can cost over $50,000, with specialized satellites running higher, and total costs—including certification, launch, and data collection—can exceed $150,000 (leva). Most teams receive only around $200,000 in funding (Space Technology Mission Directorate) making it difficult to allocate enough for actual research. Thus, CubeSat deployment remains prohibitively expensive for many small-scale teams and institutions.
Besides, most of the current process for sending payloads to orbit, including certification and launching, can easily exceed 12 months, considering for start-ups and university research teams would be too much of a time cost.
**Our innovation aims to:
Address this pain point by providing a method for customers to deploy small-scale payloads in orbit in a manner which is more affordable, requires less technical expertise and development time, and offers greater conveniency in terms of deployment workflow compared to what is current products.
Additionally, using pre-certified core MCS allows the certification, assembly and launch process to be significantly shorted to around 6 months.
Marketing:
Our main target segments during phase one (1-2 years) are small-scale startups and research teams, particularly from universities and colleges. These audiences are interested in space-related research or business opportunities but face financial or knowledge barriers that prevent them from designing, constructing, or launching satellites independently. This target segment exists because satellite construction costs remain high, with a basic 1U CubeSat (10cm x 10cm x 10cm) costing over $50,000 to construct. Including certification, launch, and data collection fees, total expenses often exceed $150,000, while space research teams typically receive around $200,000 in funding, leaving little for scientific exploration after deployment. These high costs limit access for many small-scale teams and institutions.
In phase two, target clients will expand to include all commercial businesses that is currently owning low-orbit satellites. Such clients would require a high capacity of payload (often 10-15U) and measures a lot on the credibility of the company. In regards of these requirements, they are not suitable target clients for the first start-up phase of the company. In phase three, when the company has already been established in the industry, a Gen2 MCS will be released to appeal to such clients to expand the business.
In terms of size, the market for both academic institutions and startup companies are substantial and continue to grow. Just within the United States, there are more than 130 universities which offers aerospace research programs (Mechanical and Aerospace) and in 2024, over 2,800 small-form satellites have been launched with 25% coming from academic institutions (SatMagazine). Similarly, the market of aerospace startups have also seen significant growth, in the third quarter of 2024, aerospace startups secured $1.9 billion in funding, increasing almost 20% from the previous year (Sriram).
Company Service Flow Procedure
Customers reaches out to Arcturus with requirements:
Users require functionality not included in standard modules provided definition of data transmission pins of module will be provided; the user should provide their own custom module according to the size (module casing kit will be provided) and the definition of the pins. User’s module will be certified and launched in 6 months’ time
User’s requirements are within the range of standard modules Project Gemini Satellite Sharing Service, starting from 90,000usd + cost of modules, orbital deployment will be after 4 months
User is not looking forward to share framework with other individuals Standard retail is available for users such that the user owns the entire MCS and do not share data transmission bandwidth with other individuals.
Custom modules will be sent for certification (2-3 months)
After confirmation of the MCS planning, Arcturus will assemble the core and the modules.
The MCS satellites will be sent to launch providers
Launch providers will launch the satellite into the orbit
Data will be transmitted to ground stations as proxy and further transferred to the software of Arcturus MCS
Data transmission for the first 12 months is included in the pricing of MCS, further subscription will cost individuals 2,000usd per month
The MCS will automatically fall into the atmosphere and disintegrate after 24 months
Launch and Ground Station Providers:
Integration and certification are handled by us through partnerships with launch providers such as SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA), offering users a hassle-free way to deploy payloads into orbit. Furthermore, we cooperate with Microsoft’s Azure Ground Station services to receive data from satellites deployed in orbit and store and display this data to the user via an online graphical interface, eliminating the need for the user to set up ground stations themselves and greatly reducing the technical expertise needed.
Protection:
We will protect our proprietary designs through patents for the modular connector system and CubeSat framework, ensuring that our modular approach, which is crucial for lowering costs and expediting the integration process, remains exclusive. Additionally, we will apply for copyright for all technical documentation and user manuals to protect our intellectual property. These exclusive designs create significant barriers to entry as this prevents competitions from directly utilizing our designs, slowing them down and protecting our market position. Moreover, the strong relationships we’ve built with launch and ground station providers further increases our defensibility, as competitors must invest considerable time and resources to establish similar partnerships.
Competitors:
Currently, there are two major types of competition with our innovation.
The first type of competition comes from CubeSat vendors that design and build custom CubeSats based on contractor requirements. For example, Blue Canyon Technologies charges $500,000-$100,000,000 for a 3U CubeSat. These companies are far more expensive than our solution, as they construct entire CubeSats to customer specifications. Moreover, their services are less comprehensive, requiring customers to manage delivery and data collection independently. This makes our offer more appealing to budget customers seeking a hassle-free experience.
The second type of competition comes from companies targeting the budget CubeSat market. The main competitor is EnduroSat AD. EnduroSat offers a satellite-sharing service like ours, integrating modules from various customers on a single platform for launch. However, their pricing is higher at $100,000 per 1U of payload and $50,000 annually for data collection, compared to our $40,000 per 1U and $24,000 annually. Additionally, our proprietary connector system allows integration within 4 months, faster than their 6-12 months. Moreover, we also offer premade modules while they do not. This makes our services more appealing to cost-conscious users seeking efficiency.
Go-To-Market
We plan to attract customers through a combination of online and offline marketing.
Online, we plan to conduct targeted digital advertising on websites that are frequented by university students, especially those conducting aerospace related research. This includes academic publishing platforms such as International Journal of Aerospace Engineering and aerospace related online community forums such as r/AerospaceEngineering Reddit forum, which are also frequented by aerospace professionals and startups.
Offline, we plan to promote to university research teams through on campus outreach programs to directly reach the faculty and graduate students leading the research. We also plan to attend aerospace conferences frequented by research teams and startups such as the IEEE Aerospace Conference (AeroConf 2025).
The market is best served by direct sales because direct sales enable communication and coordination during the integration process of the user’s modules with the MCS.
Comparison-Arcturus and Competitor (Endurosat)
| Company | Arcturus | Competitor (Endurosat) |
|---|---|---|
| Price (3U) | 146,000usd | 351,000usd |
| Deployment time | As low as 4 months | More than 12 months |
| Technological barrier | Low, complete service from certification to orbital launch to data transmission. No prior knowledge required | High, certification is not included thus the customer must go through the process themselves |
| Payload volume | 3U | 1.7U |
| Data transmission service | 1 year of subscription of data transmission service, extra transmission service costs 2,000 usd per month | 1 year of subscription of data transmission service; further data transmission costs 50,000 usd per year |
Future Planning and Improvements:
Due to MCS’s predefined size and technical specifications some specialized equipment with larger form factors or higher power requirements than what the MCS can provide cannot be integrated on the MCS.
Pricing:
Calculation formula:
[(28,000×(Num.1.5U Modules)/2)+(4,000×Num.1.5U Modules)+(25,000)]*2
Monthly payment: 2,000 USD
Minimum: 90,000 USD
Business model:
Our key revenues come from the following sources:
the initial fee to integrate and launch customer modules aboard the Arcturus MCS
the recurring charges to collect, store and display data from the Arcturus MCS in orbit.
We charge an initial fee during the integration process of customer modules to cover the manufacturing costs of the Arcturus MCS, direct labor costs of the integration and certification process and the launch expenses. We calculate the prices incurred during this stage using the following equation, with prices starting at $90,000 for a module of size 1.5U.
[(28,000×(Num.1.5U Modules)/2)+(4,000×Num.1.5U Modules)+(25,000)]*2
This equation covers the costs, includes overhead for profit and incentivizes users to purchase multiple modules at the same time because the cost per module decreases the more modules they purchase.
After launch, our revenue comes from the recurring costs we charge to maintain communication channels with deployed satellites and to receive, store and display data from the satellites to our users. This service is priced at a monthly $2,000, offering flexible choice for the user on how long they choose to use this service. We estimate this service to generate $48,000 per user over the 24-month operational lifetime of our satellites.
We estimate the costs for us to deliver one Arcturus MCS to be a total of $75,000:
$34,000 in materials and labor to construct the CubeSat
$25,000 in direct labor to integrate and certify each customer module
$8,000 to deliver the CubeSat into low Earth orbit based on the launch prices given by launch provider SpaceX (The Recent Large Reduction).
In terms of data collection and storage, we estimate total costs of $21,600 per MCS over the 24-month operational lifespan using prices provided by Microsoft’s Azure Ground Station services (Azure Orbital Ground Station).
Company Roadmap
Year 1-2: Foundation and Initial Growth
Key Objectives:
Product Development and Validation:
- Finalize the modular CubeSat design and conduct rigorous testing to ensure reliability and performance.
- Secure patents for the proprietary modular connector system and CubeSat framework to protect intellectual property.
- Develop and test premade modules (e.g., imaging, payload deployment) to simplify the setup process for users.
Market Entry and Initial Sales: - Begin direct sales to university research teams and startups in the U.S., leveraging partnerships with SpaceX and ULA.
- Attend aerospace conferences (e.g., IEEE Aerospace Conference) to promote the product and build brand awareness.
Regulatory and Certification Compliance: - Secure necessary certifications and regulatory approvals for CubeSat deployment.
- Establish clear processes for integration, certification, and launch to ensure a hassle-free experience for customers.
Year 3-4: Scaling and Market Expansion
Key Objectives:
Global Market Expansion:
- Expand global market by targeting international universities, startups, and research institutions.
- Establish partnerships with global launch providers and ground station services to support international customers.
- Enhanced Product Offerings:
- Introduce new pre-made modules based on customer feedback and market demand (e.g., environmental monitoring, communication).
- Development of improved version of Gen1 MCS based on user feedback
Strengthen Partnerships: - Deepen collaborations with SpaceX, ULA, and Microsoft Azure Ground Station to ensure reliable launch and data collection services.
- Explore partnerships with aerospace organizations and government agencies (e.g., NASA, ESA) to access additional funding and resources.
Revenue Diversification: - Launch additional revenue streams, such as selling obtained satellite data to third parties (with revenue sharing for original operators).
- Offer subscription-based services for long-term data collection and analysis, providing recurring revenue.
Marketing and Customer Acquisition: - Implement targeted online and offline marketing campaigns to reach a broader audience, including academic publishing platforms and aerospace forums.
- Develop on-campus outreach programs to engage directly with university research teams and faculty.
Year 5: Long-Term Growth and Innovation
Key Objectives:
Product Innovation and Scalability:
- Develop next-generation CubeSat platforms with advanced features, including higher power capacity, larger payload capacity, and enhanced data processing capabilities.
- Explore scalability options to support larger payloads and more complex missions, catering to a wider range of customers.
- Synchronized development of the second generation software that improves based on user feedback also to enhance performance of connection.
Global Dominance in the Small Satellite Market: - Establish Arcturus MCS as a global leader in affordable, modular CubeSat solutions.
- Capture a significant share of the growing small satellite market, projected to reach $11.2 billion by 2029.
Ecosystem Development: - Build a comprehensive ecosystem around the Arcturus MCS, including training programs, technical support, and community forums for users.
- Address dependencies and scalability limitations to ensure the product can meet the needs of diverse customers.
Sustainability and Long-Term Viability: - Focus on sustainable practices in manufacturing and operations to reduce environmental impact.
- Develop a long-term roadmap for continuous innovation, ensuring the product remains competitive in a rapidly evolving market.
Funding and Financial Stability: - Secure additional funding through venture capital, grants, and strategic partnerships to support ongoing R&D and market expansion.
- Achieve profitability by optimizing costs, increasing sales, and diversifying revenue streams.
Entry of commercial market: - With enough credibility in the market Arcturus will enter commercial market for expansion and further company development on according product will begin