Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA)
MMA Design
Solar-tracking gimbal originally designed for CubeSats, adaptable to ESPA-class and larger spacecraft — up to 180° actuation range with up to 16 power/signal feed-throughs per wing.
Technical specifications
- Actuation range
- +/- 180°
- Actuation speed
- Up to 2.2°/s (adjustable)
- Feed-through conductors
- Up to 16 per wing
- Gimbal variants
- 6.5 mm and 9 mm (higher power)
- Availability
- Bundled with MMA solar arrays only
About
MMA Space’s Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA) tracks the Sun on-orbit or during spacecraft maneuvers, working in combination with a sun sensor for accurate solar pointing. Originally developed for CubeSat platforms, the design scales to ESPA-class and larger spacecraft. The SADA provides +/- 180 degrees of actuation range at speeds up to 2.2 degrees per second (adjustable), with up to 16 signal and power feed-through conductors per solar wing. Two gimbal thickness variants — 6.5 mm and a higher-power 9 mm — are manufactured in-house, and the SADA is available exclusively in combination with MMA’s solar array products.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
