Ferrofluid Reaction Wheel Development and in-orbit Verification

Ferrofluid Reaction Wheel Development and in-orbit Verification | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Ferrofluid Reaction Wheel Development and in-orbit Verification Manfred Ehresmann, Sebastian Zajonz, Christian Korn, Steffen Großmann, and 22 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4193738/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Feb, 2025 Read the published version in CEAS Space Journal → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In contemporary satellite systems, Reaction Control Systems (RCS) serve as one of the primary means for generating internal torques within the Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS). Notably, these systems encompass Reaction Wheels (RW) and Control Moment Gyros (CMG), both characterized by mechanically-mounted rotating disks engineered for maximized moment of inertia. However, this design inherently introduces challenges common to movingmechanical systems, including wear, (non-linear) friction effects, and potential degradation. For in space applications these challenges are more severe, as repairs are usually not possible or would entail significant resource allocation. An alternative to this is provided by fluid-based systems, which can prevent wear and tear of mechanical systems by completely replacing the mechanical interfaces in conventional system with a design based on a ferrofluid mechanism. Ferrofluid-based system concepts offer longer life due to reduced wear and tear as well as potentially lower production costs and overall increased durability and reliability. This paper aims to describe the development of a potential replacment of a reaction wheel by a fluid-based concept from the basic idea and proof of concept up to the data evaluation of the in-space verification of the system in the zero-gravity environment on the ISS (International Space Station). This ACS (Attitude Control System) experiment is called Ferrowheel as it is based on a stator of a brushless DC motor in combination with a rotor on a ferrofluidic bearing. This research was completed as part of the student project FARGO (Ferrofluid Application Research Goes Orbital). FARGO is part of the Überflieger 2 student competition hosted by the space agency within DLR (German Aerospace Center). The experiment was operated on the ISS in March and April 2023. The project objective was to test and analyze three separate ferrofluid applications in the ISS micro-gravity environment. FARGO ISS DLR Ferrofluid ACS Student Project Wear-reduction Mechanic-free Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Feb, 2025 Read the published version in CEAS Space Journal → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 25 Oct, 2024 Reviews received at journal 24 Oct, 2024 Reviews received at journal 26 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 May, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 16 May, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 02 Apr, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 01 Apr, 2024 First submitted to journal 30 Mar, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4193738","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":286579359,"identity":"7d7a28c0-6982-4d90-a546-6b581e8c95a4","order_by":0,"name":"Manfred 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