Autonomous Wheel Off-Loading Strategies for Deep-Space CubeSats

Abstract Deep-space CubeSats missions require careful trade-offs on design drivers such as mass, volume, and cost, while ensuring autonomous operations. This work elaborates the possibility of off-loading reaction wheels without need carrying a bulky expensive control system or field-dependent magnetotorquers. The momentum accumulated along two body axes can be removed by either offsetting main thruster with gimbal mechanism tilting differentially solar wings. dumping third axis still accomplished imposing specific attitude trajectory motion arrays drive mechanism. M-Argo CubeSat is selected case study to test techniques its deep-space trajectory. strategies decision-making autonomously carried out state machine. during cruising arcs employs gimballed takes typically 3 h, granting mass savings more than 99% respect usage system. shown have negligible differences nominal one, since thrust corrected accordingly. During coasting arcs, are tilted several hours required, depending Sun direction intensity, but propellant completely saved. Sensitivity analyses also initial angular components center displacement check robustness algorithms.