Session
Poster Session 2
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
Small satellites demand high-resolution imaging, optical inter-satellite links, precision science — demand agile, accurate attitude control under tight mass, volume, and power.
Momentum-exchange actuators are the standard propellant-free solution:
- Reaction wheels: precise, but low torque authority
- CMGs: high torque, but singularity-prone
- VSCMGs: variable wheel speed and gimbal angle → high torque, added DOFs for singularity avoidance, dual RW/CMG operation
The gap: VSCMG research has focused on 4-unit pyramid clusters, whose redundancy costs actuator count, volume, and power — resources SmallSats can least afford. The minimum cluster size for practical three-axis control is not well established.
Document Type
Event
Paper
Included in
Minimum Variable Speed Control Moment Gyros (VSCMG) Cluster Sizing for Full Three-Axis SmallSat Attitude Control: A Numerical Study
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Small satellites demand high-resolution imaging, optical inter-satellite links, precision science — demand agile, accurate attitude control under tight mass, volume, and power.
Momentum-exchange actuators are the standard propellant-free solution:
- Reaction wheels: precise, but low torque authority
- CMGs: high torque, but singularity-prone
- VSCMGs: variable wheel speed and gimbal angle → high torque, added DOFs for singularity avoidance, dual RW/CMG operation
The gap: VSCMG research has focused on 4-unit pyramid clusters, whose redundancy costs actuator count, volume, and power — resources SmallSats can least afford. The minimum cluster size for practical three-axis control is not well established.
