Magnetorquer

A magnetorquer or magnetic torquer (also known as a torque rod) is a satellite system for attitude control, detumbling, and stabilization built from electromagnetic coils. The magnetorquer creates a magnetic dipole that interfaces with an ambient magnetic field, usually Earth's, so that the counter-forces produced provide useful torque.

Functional principle

Magnetorquers are sets of electromagnets arranged to yield a rotationally asymmetric (anisotropic) magnetic field over an extended area. That field is controlled by switching current flow through the coils on or off, usually under computerized feedback control. The magnets themselves are mechanically anchored to the craft, so that any magnetic force they exert on the surrounding magnetic field will lead to a magnetic reverse force and result in mechanical torque about the vessel's center of gravity. This makes it possible to freely pivot the craft around in a known local gradient of the magnetic field by only using electrical energy.

The magnetic dipole generated by the magnetorquer is expressed by the formula

m

=

n

I

A

,

{\displaystyle \mathbf {m} =nI\mathbf {A} ,}

where n is the number of turns of the wire, I is the current provided, and A is the vector area of the coil.

The dipole interacts with the magnetic field generating a torque

τ

=

m

×

B

,

{\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {\tau }}=\mathbf {m} \times \mathbf {B} ,}

where m is the magnetic dipole vector, B the magnetic field vector (for a spacecraft it is the Earth magnetic field vector), and τ is the generated torque vector.

Construction

The construction of a magnetorquer is based on the realization of a coil with a defined area and number of turns according to the required performances. However, there are different ways to obtain the coil; thus, depending on the construction strategy, it is possible to find three types of magnetorquer, apparently very different from each other but based on the same concept:

Air-core magnetorquer

This comprises the basic concept of magnetorquer, a conductive wire wrapped around a non-conductive support anchored to the satellite.