Optimization of Pyramidal Reaction Wheel Configuration for Minimizing Angular Momentum

Many spacecraft using more than 3 reaction wheels for both redundancy and extra maneuverability capabilities. Actuators configuration plays an effective role in the performance of the attitude control system. This paper deals with the management of 4 reaction wheels used simultaneously in the pyramidal configuration. Due to the saturation phenomenon, it is very important to minimizing the angular momentum in the case of using momentum exchange devices. Therefore this paper investigates the best tilt-angle of wheels in pyramidal configuration to perform the maneuver with minimum angular momentum.