US company Aerospace Corp has developed software that could save satellites from gyroscope failure, extend their on-orbit operational life and cut costs.
PseudoGyro uses software to emulate a hardware gyro, and was used in 1999 to extend the life of a classified experimental government satellite which had experienced gyro failures.
The software was originally developed for use on an unidentified national security programme satellite which was facing added development costs and schedule delays due to limitations associated with its gyro, says the company. The PseudoGyro saved that programme $15 million in acquisition costs, it says.
The system works in conjunction with orbital attitude estimation filtering techniques and takes advantage of all available sensors, including the vehicle itself, in determining attitude. It uses the principle of conservation of momentum to determine the angular velocity of a spacecraft.
The PseudoGyro can reduce the risk and costs associated with traditional spinning mass gyros and new technology systems, such as ring laser, fibre-optic and hemispherical resonator devices.
Source: Flight International