The attitude information of spacecraft can be obtained by the sensors attached to
it using a star tracker, three-axis magnetometer, three-axis gyroscope, and a global
positioning signal receiver. By using these sensors, the spacecraft can be maneuvered by
actuators that generate torques. In particular, electromagnetic-torque bars can be used
for attitude control and as a momentum-canceling instrument. The spacecraft momentum can
be created by the current through the electrical circuits and coils. Thus, the current
around the electromagnetic-torque bars is a critical factor for precisely controlling
the spacecraft. In connection with these concerns, a solar-cell array can be considered
to prevent generation of a magnetic dipole moment because the solar-cell array can
introduce a large amount of current through the electrical wires. The maximum value of a
magnetic dipole moment that cannot affect precise control is 0.25 A·m2, which takes into
account the current that flows through the reaction-wheel assembly and the
magnetic-torque current. In this study, we designed a 300-W solar cell array and
presented an optimal wire-routing method to minimize the magnetic dipole moment for
space applications. We verified our proposed method by simulation.