Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMG 15-45S / 40-60S / 75-75S)
Airbus Defence and Space
A range of compact, high-torque Control Moment Gyroscopes from Airbus for precise and agile satellite attitude control, covering satellites from 500 kg to 3 tonnes.
Typed specifications36 values
Discloses 2 of 11 fields engineers filter by in this category (category median 3).
- Mass
- 8 000 g electronics channel · datasheet p.2 61 000 g mechanism | 69 000 g per CMG | 69 000 g total
- Envelope (L×W×H)
- mechanism 550 mm x 500 mm x 570 mm, electronics 390 mm x 250 mm x 175 mm product page electronics 390mm x 250mm x 175mm (per box for 2 CMG channels) electronics | 390 x 250 x 175 electronics box, per box for 2 CMG channels | mechanism 550mm x 500mm x 570mm mechanism
- Angular momentum storage
- 70–75 N·m·s per CMG · datasheet p.2
- Max torque
- 75 000 mN·m datasheet p.2
- Supply voltage
- 22–37 V datasheet p.2
- Power consumption
- 145 W typical max maneuver, per CMG · datasheet p.2 145 W max maneuver per CMG | 57 W quasi-static, @75Nms per CMG | 57 W typical quasi-static, @75Nms per CMG
- Data interface
- MIL 1553 data bus interface datasheet p.2 MIL-STD-1553 MIL 1553 data bus interface
- Operating temperature
- -20 °C product page -20–40 °C operating
- Radiation tolerance (TID)
- compatible with typical 10 years LEO total dose · datasheet p.2
- Design lifetime
- 10 years datasheet p.2 10 years LEO
- Bearing type
- ball ball bearing of the wheel and of the gimbal · datasheet p.2
- Survival temperature
- -30 °C product page -30–60 °C storage
- Random vibration
- 10 g RMS random, in plane · datasheet p.2 15 g RMS random, out of plane
- Flight heritage
- Airbus CMG products have cumulated over 1 millon hours on orbit, without failure datasheet p.2
- Satellite class
- large >500 kg for large satellites (typically 3000kg) · datasheet p.1 smallsat 100-500 kg
- Missions flown
- 1 datasheet p.2
- Quasi-static load
- 20 g datasheet p.2
- Shock qualification
- 1 600 g electronics, over 2000Hz to 10kHz · datasheet p.2 800 g mechanism, over 1800Hz to 10kHz
- Drive electronics
- external separate electronics box per 2 CMG channels · datasheet p.2
- Gimbal travel
- 360 ° gimbal axis angular range unlimited · datasheet p.2
Each value is typed with its unit and measurement condition and cites the datasheet page it was taken from. Nothing is guessed: a field that is absent here has not been published by the manufacturer. machine-extracted ✓ checked by NewSpace Market ✓ manufacturer confirmed by the manufacturer.
As published by the supplier19 lines, in the manufacturer's own wording
- Models
- CMG 15-45S, CMG 40-60S, CMG 75-75S
- Applicable satellite mass range
- 500 kg to 3 tonnes
- Torque output
- Up to 75 Nm
- Design features
- Patented designs, integrated vibration dampers
- Cumulative in-orbit operational hours
- Over 1 million hours, without failures
- Flight heritage
- Over a decade of mission success in orbit
- Momentum
- 70 Nms to 75 Nms
- Torque
- 75 Nm
- Lifetime
- 10 years LEO
- Angular resolution
- 22 bits
- Pointing performance
- < 2 mrad in maneuver, < 0.1 mrad in quasi-static phase
- Angular momentum stability
- < 0.001%
- Operating temperature
- -20°C to +40°C
- Storage temperature
- -30°C to +60°C
- Startup temperature
- -25°C
- Mass
- 69 kg per CMG
- Dimensions
- mechanism 550 mm x 500 mm x 570 mm, electronics 390 mm x 250 mm x 175 mm
- Power
- 57 W @75 Nms (quasi-static), 145 W (max maneuver)
- Interface
- MIL 1553 data bus
About
Airbus offers a range of Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) tailored for diverse satellite needs, providing precise agility and high reliability for attitude control. The range comprises three compact and efficient models — CMG 15-45S, CMG 40-60S, and CMG 75-75S — covering satellite masses from 500 kg to 3 tonnes, with torque outputs up to 75 Nm. The CMGs feature patented designs and integrated vibration dampers, enabling fast manoeuvres while minimising power consumption. Collectively, the CMG family has surpassed 1 million cumulative operational hours in orbit without failures, demonstrating long-term durability and mission success over more than a decade of flight heritage. Airbus’s research department continues to develop the CMGs, working on aspects such as optimizing equipment mass and torque performance to deliver greater agility. The product family also relates to Airbus’s Newton CMG Package avionics offering and the company’s broader work on space sustainability technologies such as the Detumbler.
Documentation
- Datasheet_SpE_CMG75-75S_2022.pdf PDF source: airbus.web.factory.eu.airbus.com ↗
- Datasheet_SpE_CMG40-60S_2022.pdf PDF source: airbus.web.factory.eu.airbus.com ↗
- Datasheet_SpE_CMG15-45_2022.pdf PDF source: airbus.web.factory.eu.airbus.com ↗
- AVIONICS-NEWTON CMG PACKAGE-v3_2022.pdf PDF source: airbus.web.factory.eu.airbus.com ↗
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