A review of conventional and synergistic systems for small satellites

Purpose – To compare the conventional reaction wheel and battery systems with the combined energy and attitude control system. The system mass, volume and power requirements are revealed corresponding to the small satellite missions.Design/methodology/approach – All the relevant system parametric equations are established. The system mass, volume and power are estimated accordingly for the conventional and the combined systems. Then, both systems are compared with respect to the typical small satellite missions.Findings – The combined system outperforms the conventional system in most small satellite missions. However, there are some small satellite missions where the conventional systems are better in terms of the mass and volume budgets.Research limitations/implications – This research work is exclusively for small satellites in the LEO orbits.Practical implications – A reasonable information for sizing the combined energy and attitude control system is established. The system mass, volume and power bud...