Feedback control and steering laws for spacecraft using Canfield joint attitude manipulators

A novel attitude control system using a reaction wheel mounted on a Canfield joint is introduced. The rotational equations of motion for a rigid body spacecraft equipped with a pair of Canfield joint attitude manipulators are derived. Stable feedback laws are developed for attitude control and momentum management of the spacecraft using Lyapunov theory. Steering laws to find the gimbal rates and accelerations to generate the torque required for a maneuver are derived in both a linear and a nonlinear form. Numerical simulations of representative spacecraft reorientation maneuvers demonstrate the utility of the control and steering laws developed in this research. The singularity problem associated with traditional configurations of single-gimbal control moment gyroscopes is discussed in relation to the attitude control system being presented.