Design and analysis of gimbal thrusters arrangement for three axis satellite attitude control

Reaction thrusters using in spacecrafts attitude control will be highly regarded, because they can provide almost any torque level, despite complexity analysis. Also suitable control of satellite with thrusters depends on efficient and desired arrangement of thrusters on satellite body. Two important subject of arrangement design are fuel efficiency and increase reliability. System needs a large number of fixed thrusters to generate different torque level about three principal body axes and increase reliability, but this approach has not fuel efficiency. This problem is soluble with using gimbal thrusters. In gimbal thruster approach, by using two axis rotational elements, all of the workspace about three axes is covered with 2, 3 or 4 thrusters. In this paper after gimbal thrusters determination and structure description, their benefits than fixed thrusters is described. Then, different gimbal thrusters arrangement are designed and their workspace covering being analysis. Finally, desired arrangement with the best workspace covering and suitable reliability is selected for three axis attitude control.