New-GenerationControl Moment Gyro

(New-Gen CMG)

The Problem to Solve In the last years the increased instruments resolution, particularly for Earth Observation missions, is leading to an increased agility as well as precision required to satellites.

There is also a tendency in developing small satellites with new technologies for reducing the mass of the equipment and in particular the mass of the attitude and control actuators.

These objectives can be met only by attitude actuators with superior momentum capability.

High-performance bearings and lubrication are crucial issues of any space gyros and the like.

Example of active (commanded) lubricator for satellite bearing application. From [Ref. 1].

Ref. 1 - Sathyan Krishnan, Sang-Heon Lee, Hung-Yao Hsu and Gopinath Konchady: “Lubrication of Attitude Control Systems”, pp. 75-98, Ch. 4 of Advances in Spacecraft Technologies, Edited by Jason Hall, ISBN 978-953-307-551-8, Publisher: InTech, Published: February 14, 2011.

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The Problem to Solve

If a Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) fails unexpectedly, the event can severely affect the satellite operations.

CMG failures on the International Space Station (ISS) have occurred since 2002.

Data mining techniques are currently used for detecting early symptoms of CMG degradation.

Such techniques are rather complex and are able to tag a possible malfunction only with a relatively short notice.

From Gerhard Holtkamp “Data Mining in Space”, SciLogs, posted 13. March 2010

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The Proposed Solution

Principle of Liquid-Pocket Sliders

Sentinel cells

Shaft

Flywheel

Sensor

Case Ordinary cells

Ordinary slider cells are placed around the rotorrather than around the shaft.

Special sentinel cells detect early malfunction symptoms

All the problems illustrated above can be addressed and solved thanks to a radically newtechnology for bearings: the Liquid-Pocket Sliders (LPS)

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Main Advantages of LPS Technology(not only for CMG applications)

• No need of liquid lubricants/lubricators; • Increased load capacity coefficient with respect to common air hydrodynamic bearings;• Unprecedented high working speed;• Dynamic stiffness control in operation;• Low-noise;• Shock tolerance;• Failure tolerance;• Sentinel cells allow proactive detection of failures;• Self-centering action;• Self-balancing action (optional).

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Potential Markets

Apart from the described space applications there are a number of possible industrial uses of LPS bearings:

• Aircraft Air Cycle Machines• Household appliances (hand dryers, fans, washing machines)• Small turbines for energy transformation•Attitude Control of air vehicles• Stabilization of boats and of wheeled vehicles• Compressors• Typically, any applications where very high speeds and moderate loads are involved

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The Team’s Competences

The proposed technology has been invented by the Project Responsible, a team member of ASTRO Industry, who has filed two patent applications related to this invention.

The present Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the proposed technology (4 in the standard scale of 9 levels) has been reached thanks to projects funded by the Italian Government and by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and successfully completed by members of the team.

Astro Industry will team up with TeS, another Italian SME of the Space Engineering Group, now belonging to ASTRIUM. The colleagues of TeS have a sound experience of CMG control electronics and algorithms, thanks to previous activities performed on behalf of ASI.

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What is Needed

ASTRO Industry S.r.l.Zona Industriale di Acerra, I-80011 – Acerra (NA) - ItalyTel +39-081-8446268e-mail: info@astroindustry.comwebsite: www.astroindustry.com

Motivated and skilled physicists and engineers from Russia and abroad are encouraged to join the Italian colleagues and form an international team based in Russia (fluent English is a must).

The Intellectual Property protection of the proposed technology needs to be extended to more countries: support is needed to refine our IP policy accounting, in particular, for the Russian market characteristics.

Contacts with suppliers/developers of innovative anti-wear linings are looked for, with the purpose of further mitigating wear in low-speed operation.

Investors are welcome to help us shorten the time-to market of our technology and exploit its benefits to the maximum possible extent.

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