Nomenclature

Control momentum gyros (CMGs) are often chosen for satellites where high attitude precision and torque are needed while using minimal input power. Control of these types of systems is complicated and is directly dependent on the number of actuators and their gimbal axis orientations with respect to the satellite body frame. This paper discusses the potential benefits of optimizing these gimbal axis configurations and compares these results to existing configurations such as the box, rooftop, and pyramid. A static optimization is performed to find the correct gimbal axis configuration in terms of Euler angles for an attitude control system (ACS) consisting of four CMGs. A four CMG configuration is chosen for minimal redundancy in avoiding singularities. The paper also proposed a method of reconfiguring the CMG gimbal axis orientations online. Reconfiguring the CMGs online can be beneficial to larger systems with deployables and/or systems with on-orbit assembly which can afford the mass and volume of extra mechanisms for onboard reconfiguration