A reaction wheel assembly comprising: a wheel housing; a shaft and bearings, said shaft being held to the wheel housing by the bearings of the reaction wheel assembly, the wheel housing configured for being directly attached to a body of a satellite; a wheel mounted to the shaft, wherein the center of a gravity of the wheel is co-aligned with the shaft, wherein the bearings allow the wheel to spin about the shaft; and a support device mounted to the wheel housing, wherein the support device is engaged to support the wheel to reduce a load on the shaft, the load being caused by an acceleration of the satellite during a kinetic launch of the satellite, wherein the support device comprises: one or more support blocks configured to be positioned between the wheel and the wheel housing to support the wheel during the kinetic launch of the satellite; one or more springs, a first end of one or more springs being attached to the wheel housing and a second end of the one or more springs being attached to the one or more support blocks, the one or more springs compressing when the one or more support blocks are placed between the wheel and the wheel housing; and one or more release devices attached to the wheel housing, the one or more release devices being configured to secure the one or more support blocks between the wheel and the wheel housing during the kinetic launch of the satellite to prevent the wheel from spinning during the kinetic launch of the satellite, and the one or more release devices being configured to release the one or more support blocks between the wheel and the wheel housing to allow the wheel to spin when the satellite is in orbit. a wheel housing; a shaft and bearings, said shaft being held to the wheel housing by the bearings of the reaction wheel assembly, the wheel housing configured for being directly attached to a body of a satellite; a wheel mounted to the shaft, wherein the center of a gravity of the wheel is co-aligned with the shaft, wherein the bearings allow the wheel to spin about the shaft; and a support device mounted to the wheel housing, wherein the support device is engaged to support the wheel to reduce a load on the shaft, the load being caused by an acceleration of the satellite during a kinetic launch of the satellite, one or more support blocks configured to be positioned between the wheel and the wheel housing to support the wheel during the kinetic launch of the satellite; one or more springs, a first end of one or more springs being attached to the wheel housing and a second end of the one or more springs being attached to the one or more support blocks, the one or more springs compressing when the one or more support blocks are placed between the wheel and the wheel housing; and one or more release devices attached to the wheel housing, the one or more release devices being configured to secure the one or more support blocks between the wheel and the wheel housing during the kinetic launch of the satellite to prevent the wheel from spinning during the kinetic launch of the satellite, and the one or more release devices being configured to release the one or more support blocks between the wheel and the wheel housing to allow the wheel to spin when the satellite is in orbit.