Researchers at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zürich have discovered an elegant yet efficient solution to designing motors for applications in outer space. First a bit of theory: motors that are traditionally used to control the rotation of orbiting satellites have utilized the ubiquitous ball bearings and lubricants on their rotating shafts. However this setup has inherent disadvantages in that the bearings tend to wear down over time, causing the system to generate vibrations and even fail in the long run.
Two examples of this happening was with the Hubble telescope where two wheels needed to be replaced recently, and the Kepler space observatory where its pointing system was disabled owing to failed wheel mechanisms.
The researchers at Zurich along with a their colleagues at a company that has been spun off for this purpose--Celeroton--have invented a motor where the rotor assembly is itself levitated by means of magnets, effectively eliminating the need for bearings and lubricants. Also, with virtually no friction between the moving parts, this new motor can spin faster--much faster. While most conventional high-speed motors spin at between 7,000 to 10,000 RPM, this magnetically levitated version can hit a numbing 1,50,000 RPM. Also these motors generate far lesser heat and much lower vibration during operation.
However the real upshot of this mechanism is not just its increased speed, but the fact that the same power can be incorporated within motors that are far smaller in size compared to the current state of the art. The immediate applications of these tiny yet powerful new motors could be in new-gen cubesats (shoebox-sized satellites that are being launched by many universities and research organizations) and even femtosats (satellites that are barely an inch across, which are even being launched by startups and enthusiasts.) The smaller motor allows for more room that can be utilized for actual sensing equipment in applications where space and weight is at a premium.
These motors are still in prototype stage, although the European Space Agency is said to have expressed interest in this new technology.
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