Control moment gyroscope singularity reduction via decoupled control

Two objectives dominate consideration of control moment gyroscopes (CMGs) for spacecraft maneuvers: high torque (or equivalently momentum) and singularity-free operations. Utilizing a 3/4 CMG skewed-pyramid in the optimal singularity-free configuration, this paper develops a decoupled control strategy to reduce the remaining singular conditions. Analysis is provided to justify the argument with promising simulations followed by experimental verification using a free-floating satellite simulator.