Passive Gravity-Gradient Attitude Control System for Nanosatellite REFLECTOR

The methodical and applied problems concerned the development of a passive gravity-gradient attitude control system for Russian/US nanosatellite REFLECTOR are considered. ACS consists of a proper distributed satellite mass and additional loads creating a needed tensor of inertia, and a set of hysteresis rods fabricated under the special technology from soft magnetic material. The composition of enumerated elements allows providing the satellite with three-axis orientation relative to the orbital reference system. Satellite dynamics is analysed by analytical and numerical methods. The problems of additional loads and hysteresis rods arrangement, its interaction with other on-board magnetized elements are investigated.