De-risk assessment: u-Control Moment Gyroscope

Objective(s): Gather customer requirement for actuators serving the 50kg – 300kg satellite market. Demonstrate (by test) that a micro-control moment gyroscope could be developed within the range of required specification (mass, volume, power, functional performances).

Achievements and status: Gather preliminary customer requirement for actuators serving 50kg – 300kg satellite market Technology trade-off, concept iteration and freezing a breadboard model designManufacture breadboard model. Successful functional performance testingSpecific test: quasi-static, sine vibration test identifying the necessary mechanical improvementsSpecific test: vacuum spin-down test measuring the power consumption required to compensate bearing frictionsSpecific test: measurement of self generated vibration of the flywheel