On verifying magnetic dipole moment of a magnetic torquer by experiments

Abstract

Magnetic torquers are used for the attitude control of small satellites, such as CubeSats with Low Earth Orbit (LEO). During the design of magnetic torquers, it is necessary to confirm if its magnetic dipole moment is enough to control the satellite attitude. The magnetic dipole moment can affect the detumbling time and the satellite rotation time. In addition, it is also necessary to understand how to design the magnetic torquer for operation in a CubeSat under the space environment at LEO. This paper reports an investigation of the magnetic dipole moment and the magnetic field generated by a circular air-coil magnetic torquer using experimental measurements. The experiment testbed was built on an air-bearing under a magnetic field generated by a Helmholtz coil. This paper also describes the procedure to determine and verify the magnetic dipole moment value of the designed circular air-core magnetic torquer. The experimental results are compared with the design calculations. According to the comparison results, the designed magnetic torquer reaches the required magnetic dipole moment. This designed magnetic torquer will be applied to the attitude control systems of a 1U CubeSat satellite in the project “KNACKSAT.”