The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
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A TDE funded activity, led by Airbus Defence and Space (France) together with Airbus Defence and Space (UK, Stevenage) and Jena-Optronik GmbH (Germany), investigated the possibility of using star trackers to provide a generic safe mode architecture.
The activity investigated the suitability and tested the robustness of three-star tracker models - Sodern’s Hydra and low-cost Auriga, JOP’s Astro-APS – under degraded conditions in situations with a combination of high angular rates and high level of radiation. The results demonstrated a very high robustness against radiation with the capability for providing successful acquisition.
The image shows the sensor models tested in the TDE activity.
From left to right: Hydra and Auriga, by Sodern; Astro-APS, by Jena Optronik.