XB Series
Blue Canyon Technologies
Blue Canyon Technologies' flagship XB series is a modular, flight-proven CubeSat bus line (XB1 core avionics in 3U, 6U, 12U, and 16U configurations) built for high-precision pointing, agility, and rapid, cost-efficient mission deployment.
Typed specifications49 values
Discloses 5 of 7 fields engineers filter by in this category (category median 3).
- Mass
- 23 kg product page
- Data interface
- LVDS 2.5 V LVDS (UART) · datasheet p.2 other 3.3 V In/Out | SpaceWire all XB models | UART UART (3.3 V, 2.5 V LVDS, RS-422, RS-485), all XB models | RS-422 UART over RS-422 +1
- Design lifetime
- 2 years min · GEO / Lunar / Deep Space > 2 years · datasheet p.2 5 years min · LEO > 5 years
- Form factor
- 12U XB12 class 12U · datasheet p.2 16U XB16 class 16U | 3U XB3 class 3U | 6U XB6 class 6U
- Orbit
- GEO orbit lifetime > 2 years · datasheet p.2 LEO orbit lifetime > 5 years | lunar orbit lifetime > 2 years | deep space orbit lifetime > 2 years
- Max payload mass
- 23 kg product page
- Payload volume, U
- 8 U nom. · XB12, available payload volume (typical) · datasheet p.2 12 U nom. · XB16, available payload volume (typical) | 1.5 U nom. · XB3, available payload volume (typical) | 4 U nom. · XB6, available payload volume (typical)
- Regulated voltages for the payload
- 12 V payload power 12 V; available in 6U, 12U and 16U (XB6, XB12, … · datasheet p.2 28 V payload power 28 V; available in 6U, 12U and 16U (XB6, XB12, … | 3.3 V payload power 3.3 V; available in 6U, 12U and 16U (XB6, XB12,… | 5 V payload power 5.0 V; available in 6U, 12U and 16U (XB6, XB12,…
- Onboard storage for payload data
- 4 GB onboard data storage 4GB; expandable beyond for XB6, XB12, XB… · datasheet p.2
- Power generation (orbit average)
- 27 W XB3, solar array power (BOL/EOL not stated) · datasheet p.2 92–108 W XB12, solar array power 92 W - 108 W | 92–108 W XB16, solar array power 92 W - 108 W | 92–108 W XB6, solar array power 92 W - 108 W
- Attitude control
- 3-axis stabilised pointing accuracy specified for 3 axes (all XB models) · datasheet p.2
- Pointing accuracy
- 0.002 ° XB12: ±0.002 deg (1-sigma), 3 axes, 2 trackers · datasheet p.2 0.002 ° XB16: ±0.002 deg (1-sigma), 3 axes, 2 trackers | 0.003 ° XB3: ±0.003 deg (1-sigma) for 2 axes | 0.007 ° XB3: ±0.007 deg (1-sigma) for 3rd axis | 0.002 ° XB6: ±0.002 deg (1-sigma), 3 axes, 2 trackers
- Propulsion
- optional multiple electric and chemical propulsion systems available · datasheet p.2
- Payload data downlink rate
- 2 000 kbps S-Band LEO downlink, standard, all XB models · datasheet p.2 10 000 kbps max · X-Band LEO downlink, XB6, XB12, XB16
- Radio band
- S LEO downlink S-Band 2 Mbps standard (all models) · datasheet p.2 X LEO downlink X-Band up to 10 Mbps (XB6, XB12, XB16)
- Subsystems included
- S-band radio LEO downlink S-Band 2 Mbps standard; uplink nominal 100 Kbps … · datasheet p.2
- Flight heritage
- 50-60+ XB CubeSats launched; 70+ satellite missions supported overall (MarCO, AMS, HaloSat, TEMPEST-D, CSIM, Starling 1-4, TROPICS, ARCSTONE, CLICK) product page
- Satellite class
- CubeSat CUBESAT SUMMARY: XB3, XB6, XB12, XB16 · datasheet p.2
- Form factor, U (number)
- 12 U XB12 · datasheet p.2 16 U XB16 | 3 U XB3 | 6 U XB6
Each value is typed with its unit and measurement condition and cites the datasheet page it was taken from. Nothing is guessed: a field that is absent here has not been published by the manufacturer. machine-extracted ✓ checked by NewSpace Market ✓ manufacturer confirmed by the manufacturer.
As published by the supplier12 lines, in the manufacturer's own wording
- Configurations
- 3U, 6U, 12U, 16U CubeSat
- Core avionics
- XB1 - integrated C&DH, ADCS, RF, Power, GPS, mission software
- Pointing accuracy (3U, 2-axis, 1 tracker)
- ±0.03° (1-sigma)
- Pointing accuracy (6U/12U/16U, 3-axis, 2 trackers)
- ±0.002° (1-sigma)
- Slew rate
- 360 deg/min
- Orbit types supported
- LEO, GEO, Lunar, CisLunar
- Mission design life
- 5 years
- Maximum payload mass (XB16)
- 23 kg
- Acs type
- 3-axis reaction wheel control
- Comm band
- S-band baseline (optional X-band)
- Compatible launch vehicles
- Rocket Lab Electron, ISRO PSLV, ULA Atlas V/Vulcan, SpaceX Falcon Heavy, Firefly Alpha, NASA SLS
- Flight heritage
- 50-60+ XB CubeSats launched; 70+ satellite missions supported overall (MarCO, AMS, HaloSat, TEMPEST-D, CSIM, Starling 1-4, TROPICS, ARCSTONE, CLICK)
About
The XB series is Blue Canyon Technologies’ (a wholly owned subsidiary of RTX/Raytheon) flagship small satellite bus product line, built around the XB1 core avionics unit that integrates command and data handling, attitude determination and control, RF communications, power, GPS, and mission software into a single vertically-integrated unit. The XB1 core scales across 3U, 6U, 12U, and 16U CubeSat structures, offering 1.5U to 14U+ of internal payload volume depending on configuration. Designed for missions requiring fine pointing, tight control, agility, and low-jitter dynamics, the XB line uses TRL-9 hardware, 3-axis reaction-wheel attitude control, onboard star trackers, IMUs, torque rods and sun sensors, S-band (optionally X-band) communications, Li-ion batteries, and triple-junction solar arrays. It supports LEO, GEO, lunar, cislunar, and deep-space orbits with a 5-year design life baseline. With more than 50-60 CubeSats launched and over 70 satellite missions supported overall, the XB line has flight heritage including NASA’s MarCO (the first interplanetary CubeSats, which relayed InSight’s Mars landing data), AMS, HaloSat, TEMPEST-D, CSIM, the Starling swarm, TROPICS, ARCSTONE, and CLICK, serving NASA, DoD, and commercial customers.
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.