Agile Actuators (CMG 15-45S, 40-60S, 75-75S)
Airbus Defence and Space
Airbus offers a range of Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) for satellites, providing precise agility and high reliability with torque outputs up to 75Nm.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Mass
- 3,000 kg
Normalised to common units so this product can be compared with others in its category. The supplier's own wording is below.
As published by the supplier
- Satellite mass range
- 500 kg to 3 tonnes
- Torque output
- up to 75 Nm
- Flight heritage
- Over 1 million cumulative operational hours in orbit without failures
- Operational duration
- Over a decade
- Momentum
- 70 Nms to 75 Nms
- Torque
- 75 Nm
- Lifetime
- 10 years LEO
- Angular resolution
- 22 bits
- Angular momentum stability
- < 0.001%
- Operating temperature
- -20°C to +40°C
- Mass
- 69 kg
- Dimensions
- mechanism 550 mm x 500 mm x 570 mm, electronics 390 mm x 250 mm x 175 mm
- Power
- 57 W
- Interface
- MIL 1553 data bus
About
Airbus’s Agile Actuators are a range of Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) designed to meet diverse satellite needs, ensuring precise agility and high reliability. The product line includes the CMG 15-45S, 40-60S, and 75-75S models, which are compact and efficient. These CMGs are suitable for satellites ranging in mass from 500 kg to 3 tonnes and can deliver torque outputs up to 75Nm. They incorporate patented designs and integrated vibration dampers, enabling fast manoeuvres while minimizing power consumption. The CMGs have a strong flight heritage, having accumulated over 1 million cumulative operational hours in orbit without failures, demonstrating their long-term durability and mission success for more than a decade. Airbus’s research department is continuously working to enhance these CMGs, focusing on optimizing equipment mass and torque performance to achieve even greater agility. The page also mentions Airbus’s new Detumbler technology, which is presented as a future mandatory standard for stopping out-of-control satellites, highlighting the company’s commitment to space sustainability.
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 ↗
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.