Airbus one of the leaders in designing, manufacturing, and delivering aerospace products, services, and solutions to customers on a worldwide scale has introduced a cost-effective Control Momentum Gyroscope solution for new-generation observation and science missions.
The demand for agile satellites has increased considerably over the last few years, be it for commercial or military applications, Earth observation, astronomy, optical instruments, or radar payloads. When it comes to providing a high output torque at reasonable mass, power consumption, and cost, reaction wheels are no match for Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). Airbus DS offers the CMG 75-75 S (75Nms, 75Nm Standard), a compact, high-performance CMG with integrated micro-vibrations dampers optimized for large satellites (typically 3000kg).
A high-performance product optimized for agile large satellites
With four CMGs of only 75Nms, it is now possible to slew a satellite in the three tons class at more than three degrees per second in a few seconds. Such a low momentum demand offers many advantages compared to a conventional oversized solution: the equipment is more compact and performances are improved.
A product based on proven technologies
Both the equipment and its electronics have been designed for series production to minimize recurring costs. The wheel and the gimbal mechanism use standard components from European manufacturers qualified by CNES and ESA. The electronics are based on an ASIC running at high frequency and a MIL 1553 data bus interface.
A compact product with simple interfaces
The components are assembled in an optimized architecture that minimizes the volume and the mass. The CMG can be mounted on a single base plate with a minimal footprint and no additional hardware is required to install the equipment as the wedge and the micro-vibrations dumpers are built-in. The CMG 75-75S integrates easily into satellites of three tons or even less. This compact architecture, which has been patented by AIRBUS DS, has been retained for our other CMG models.
Click here to learn about the CMG 75-75S from Airbus.
Click here to learn about CMGs from various manufacturers listed on SATNow.
