Innovative Rapid Satellite Prototyping, Integration, and Manufacturing

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate has developed the Deployable Structures Experiment (DSX) to research the technologies needed for large space structures and apertures, high-power generation, and survivability in the high radiation environment of a medium earth orbit. The proposed effort seeks to directly support DSX through the development and delivery of a flight qualified two-axis gimbal system, herein referred to as the Alpha-Beta Gimbal (ABG). The ABG primarily functions as a solar array drive used to slew the solar array into sun-pointing configurations. Currently, the ABG is required to provide a range of motion of ±180° about the Alpha axis and ±90° about the Beta axis affording a hemispheric “work space”. An important secondary function of the ABG is to provide an electrical “feed-through” that is capable of passing kiloWatts of solar-generated power and dozens of sensitive data signals. Another potential function of the ABG may be to provide an additional means of exciting the solar array structure in support of on-orbit dynamics experiments. The ABG design will be based on the preliminary design and test results from Phase I.