CASE STUDY
How Free Motion State Orbit Simulation Is Achieved Through OAV Air Bearings for Satellites in Space
Open Cosmos used the OAV Roller Air Bearing to create a frictionless orbit simulation platform for CubeSat attitude control testing.
CUSTOMER
Open Cosmos
INDUSTRY
Space & Aerospace
APPLICATION
Orbit Simulation
PRODUCT USED
Roller Air Bearing
BENEFIT
Microgravity Simulation
THE CHALLENGE
Accurately simulating free-motion conditions and validating spacecraft attitude-control systems requires a test environment with almost no friction and minimal disturbance. Conventional bearing systems introduce resistance, friction, and off-axis loading that can influence the motion of the test article and reduce the accuracy of the resulting data.
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For Open Cosmos, the objective was to reproduce the gravitational behavior a spacecraft experiences in orbit. The team needed to create a ground-based test platform capable of providing free motion on all axes so that attitude-control performance could be evaluated before launch.
Minimizing mechanical interference was particularly important because any resistance introduced by the test fixture could affect the observed spacecraft response. The motion system therefore needed to provide a stable, repeatable platform while introducing as little friction as possible into the simulation.
THE SOLUTION
Open Cosmos used an OAV Roller Air Bearing in its orbit-simulation test platform to provide the frictionless rotational motion that it needed for physical spacecraft testing. The air bearing supported the test article on a stand while allowing rotation on a controlled axis with no mechanical contact or friction.
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Rather than relying solely on computational simulation, the setup allowed the team to physically evaluate spacecraft motion and attitude-control behavior. By testing one rotational axis at a time, Open Cosmos could observe how the control system responded under conditions designed to approximate the freedom of motion encountered in a microgravity environment.​
Figure 1. Example of an Open Cosmos CubeSat platform. Image credit: Open Cosmos.
The non-contact operating principle of the OAV Roller Air Bearing minimized the mechanical resistance from the test fixture itself. This was important for separating the behavior of the spacecraft and its control system from disturbances that could be introduced by conventional mechanical bearings.​ The platform provided Open Cosmos with a repeatable test environment to validate the attitude-control calculations and compare the simulated behavior with actual spacecraft motion before launch.
THE RESULTS
The OAV Roller Air Bearing allowed Open Cosmos to achieve a frictionless environment for orbit simulation and attitude control validation.​
Enabled free motion state orbit simulation with no distrurbance
Validated attitude control systems in realistic conditions
Confirmed simulation calculations through physical testing
Improved confidence in data and repeatability of results
By being able to physically validate the satellite motion rather than relying on computational models, the team at Open Cosmos succesfully gathered the necessary information in their testing to create a repeatable testing environment to launch satellites into space as well as for future spacecraft development.
SOURCE
Case study material and imagery provided by Open Cosmos Ltd.