Spin stabilization

Method of stabilizing a satellite or launch vehicle

In aerospace engineering, spin stabilization is a method of stabilizing a satellite or launch vehicle by means of spin, i.e. rotation along the longitudinal axis. The concept originates from conservation of angular momentum as applied to ballistics, where the spin is commonly obtained by means of rifling. For most satellite applications this approach has been superseded by three-axis stabilization.

Use

Spin-stabilization is used on rockets and spacecraft where attitude control is required without the requirement for on-board 3-axis propulsion or mechanisms, and sensors for attitude control and pointing. On rockets with a solid motor upper stage, spin stabilization is used to keep the motor from drifting off course as they don't have their own thrusters. Usually small rockets are used to spin up the spacecraft and rocket then fire the rocket and send the craft off.

Rockets and spacecraft that use spin stabilization:

• The Jupiter-C and Minotaur V launch vehicles used spin-stabilization. The upper stages on both system employ spin-stabilization to stabilize the system during propulsive maneuvers.^[1][2]
• The Aryabhata satellite used spin-stabilization^[3]
• The Pioneer 4 spacecraft, the second object sent on a lunar flyby in 1959, maintained its attitude using spin-stabilization.^[4]
• The Schiaparelli EDM lander was spun up to 2.5 RPM before being ejected from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter prior to its attempted landing on Mars in October 2016.^[5]
• The Juno was spin-stabilized and arrived at Jupiter orbit in 2016.^[6]
• The launches of Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 probes on two Atlas Centaur vehicles in 1972 and 1973 employed Star 37 rocket motors that were spin-stabilized in order to inject the satellites into the high-energy hyperbolic orbits necessary to achieve solar system escape velocity.^[7] Additionally, both probes were spin-stabilized during their flights and rotated at approximately 5 rpm.^[8]
• In operation as a third stage, the Star 48 rocket booster sits on top of spin table, and before it is separated it is spun up to stabilize it during the separation from the previous stage.^[9] The Delta II launch vehicle third stage employed a Star 48 motor and was spin-stabilized and depended on the second stage for proper orientation prior to stage separation, but was sometimes equipped with a nutation control system to maintain proper spin axis.^[10] It also included a yo-weight system to induce tumbling in the third stage after payload separation to prevent recontact, or a yo-yo de-spin mechanism to slow the rotation before payload release.^[10]

Despinning can be achieved by various techniques, including yo-yo de-spin.^[11]

With advancements in attitude control propulsion systems, guidance systems, and the needs for satellites to point instruments and communications systems precisely, 3-axis attitude control has become much more common than spin-stabilization for systems operating in space.^[12]

See also

• Gyroscope
• Spin-stabilized satellite

References

1. "Jupiter-C/Explorer 1". NASA NSSDCA. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
2. "Minotaur V High Energy Space Launch Vehicle" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
3. Rao, UR (September 1978). "An overview of the 'Aryabhata' project" (PDF). Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences. C1 (2): 117–133. doi:10.1007/BF02843538. S2CID 128455319. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
4. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (under contract for NASA) (1959). The Moon Probe Pioneer IV (PDF) (Report). NASA-JPL. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
5. "Schiaparelli EDM – ExoMars | Spaceflight101".
6. "Juno Spacecraft Presskit". NASA. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
7. Krebs, Gunter D. "Pioneer 10, 11, H". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
8. "The Pioneer Missions". NASA. Mar 26, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
9. Muolo, Michael J. (November 1993). Space Handbook: A War Fighter's Guide to Space, V. 1. Government Printing Office. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-16-061355-5.
10. "Delta II Payload Planner's Guide 2007" (PDF). ulalaunch.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
11. Fedor, J.V. (August 1, 1961). Theory and Design Curves for a Yo-Yo De-Spin Mechanism for Satellites (Report). Defense Technical Information Center. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
12. "When and why did three-axis stabilization become prominent in geostationary satellites?". Stack Exchange Space Exploration. Retrieved January 1, 2023.