The Contraves Space AG (CSAG) Fine Pointing Assembly (FPA) is presented. The FPA is a dual-axis, single-mirror mechanism that can be used for beam steering and stabilisation in applications such as the Contraves Space AG Optical Inter Satellite Link Terminal series. In these terminals the FPA stabilises the line of sight of an optical free space data communication link between satellites. This is the subject of different papers which have been published in the past. The FPA offers a 1 kHz (+1/-3 dB, -45°) bandwidth, which is sufficiently high to compensate for vibrational perturbations of the platform. Other main specifications of the FPA include a +- 7 mrad (+- 0.4°) mechanical tip-tilt range and less than 1 μrad closed-loop peak-to-peak noise. A second FPA, with a somewhat different dynamic characteristic, mounted in the optical terminal equipment, allows realising the point-ahead function that is required in bi-directional long distance optical intersatellite links. The use of custom-built components for all principal functions has reduced size, mass and power consumption. The CSAG FPA is shown in figure 1.
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