A NEW TECHNOLOGY ATTITUDE SENSOR

摘要

In the ESA project ASCoSS (Attitude Sensor Concepts for Small Satellites) a number of new technologies have been applied to the design of optical attitude sensors and demonstrated in a breadboard model Compact Extended Target Sensor (CETS), a type of star sensor also intended to detect and track extended targets such as planets, comets and asteroids. The new technologies employed were: a 512 X 512 pixel Active Pixel Sensor (APS); highly integrated Multi-Chip Module (MCM) electronics; and a lens incorporating a Diffractive Optical Element (DOE). A novel form of achromatic DOE is also the subject of research under this programme. The breadboard measures approximately 62 X 53 X 53 mm. A star tracker based on this demonstrator would have an accuracy and a Noise Equivalent Angle both better than 1 arc minute (2) per 5 m_v star in a 20°X 20°field of view with an update rate of 10 Hz.