Session
Weekend Poster Session 1
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Reaction wheels are critical for spacecraft attitude control, enabling precise pointing. However, conventional designs are bulky and expensive, limiting their application in CubeSats and PocketQubes. This paper introduces a novel PCB motor architecture specifically designed for reaction wheels in small satellites. Our design integrates motor windings as traces on the PCB and utilizes a dual-purpose rotor-flywheel combination, resulting in a volumetrically efficient configuration. Additionally, the reaction wheel’s PCB casing enables multifunctional capabilities, such as serving as the satellite’s structural elements or solar panels. The accessibility of PCB manufacturing offers a simplified and cost-effective production process, with each reaction wheel costing under $100, significantly reducing the cost compared to current commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) options. Our prototype demonstrates a stall torque of 8 mNm, a maximum power consumption of 5W, and a maximum angular velocity of 170 rad/s, all within a mass of 140g and a thickness of 9mm, facilitating easy integration into a 1U CubeSat. Numerical simulations based on experimental data further validate the performance of our design.
Printed Circuit Board Reaction Wheels for Small Satellites
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Reaction wheels are critical for spacecraft attitude control, enabling precise pointing. However, conventional designs are bulky and expensive, limiting their application in CubeSats and PocketQubes. This paper introduces a novel PCB motor architecture specifically designed for reaction wheels in small satellites. Our design integrates motor windings as traces on the PCB and utilizes a dual-purpose rotor-flywheel combination, resulting in a volumetrically efficient configuration. Additionally, the reaction wheel’s PCB casing enables multifunctional capabilities, such as serving as the satellite’s structural elements or solar panels. The accessibility of PCB manufacturing offers a simplified and cost-effective production process, with each reaction wheel costing under $100, significantly reducing the cost compared to current commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) options. Our prototype demonstrates a stall torque of 8 mNm, a maximum power consumption of 5W, and a maximum angular velocity of 170 rad/s, all within a mass of 140g and a thickness of 9mm, facilitating easy integration into a 1U CubeSat. Numerical simulations based on experimental data further validate the performance of our design.
