Mechanisms & Subsystems
The true strength of Honeybee Robotic is in the development of high-performance subsystems to meet the specific requirements of our customers. By leveraging the growing toolbox of in-house components as well as a well-developed base of external suppliers, Honeybee is uniquely positioned to put together almost any type of mechanism that moves in space.
One specific type of mechanism for which Honeybee has become a market leader is the Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA). These mechanisms, designed to control the position of a satellite’s solar arrays and transfer power and signals to the bus, are typically comprised of actuators, power transfer modules (e.g. slip rings or twist capsules) and control electronics. Honeybee has qualified and produced SADA’s using internal components, off-the-shelf products and custom-designed mechanisms.
A two-axis SADA can be thought of as one type of gimbal mechanism, and Honeybee has indeed leveraged this expertise to develop various multi-axis gimbals for different applications. Especially popular is the G-35 gimbal, which is derived from our P-35 actuator (see our Specialty Components). This product offers significantly higher torque and stiffness in a smaller package than other computing gimbals on the market.
To address the requirements of the growing small- and micro-satellite markets, Honeybee has developed a line of miniature reaction wheels and control moment gyros (CMG’s). These sophisticated momentum control devices efficiently adjust or maintain the attitude of a satellite in space. Honeybee not only produces the mechanism itself but has also developed a complete set of control laws and associated electronics, providing a plug-n-play attitude control system for the entire satellite.
