Control topology for the COMET flywheel system™

The COMET Flywheel System™ is a fixed-axis flywheel system intended for small to medium sized spacecraft in low earth orbit. "COMET" is an acronym for "coordinated momentum and energy transfer". This work describes how the flight system is integrated with the attitude control system (ACS) and electrical power system (EPS). It replaces conventional chemical batteries, battery power converters, and attitude control reaction wheels resulting in significant mass savings. Block diagrams and more detailed explanation of each of the control loops in the COMET Flywheel System will be given in the paper. System and electronics simulation results will also be given to show how well the system can be expected to behave in the face of parameter uncertainty and varying power load demand.