Long-term lubrication of momentum wheels used in spacecrafts—An overview

Momentum wheels are spacecraft actuators of large angular momentum used for the attitude control and stabilization of spacecrafts. The on-orbit performance of spacecrafts depends largely on the performance of the momentum wheels which in turn depends on its bearings and its lubrication. Currently, the life cycle of spacecrafts are aimed to be around 20–30 years. However, the increases in size, complexity and life expectancy of spacecrafts demand advanced technologies especially in tribology and in turn the development of more innovative lubrication systems for long-term operation. This article reviews the tribological requirements of momentum wheels and the various lubrication systems used in the past and raises a necessity to develop a new system to cope with the new requirements.