MINIATURISED APS STR: A CHALLENGING FIRST DELIVERY

摘要

Galileo Avionica realized the first Flight Model of a highly compact and light APS based star tracker, providing accuracy comparable with those achievable with CCD star trackers. This state of the art AA-STR star sensor really does herald the beginning of a new age for Star Tracker sensors that will come to see them dominate the satellite AOCSs of the future. Since May 2000 Galileo Avionica is deeply involved in the introduction of Active Pixel Sensor Focal Planes in attitude sensors and navigation and vision cameras. In particular, contracts have been acquired for the development/qualification of a miniaturised sun sensor (FMs were already delivered for GOCE), for the Bepi Colombo Star Tracker and for Vision Based Navigation Camera (for the Navigation for Planetary Approach and Landing system). In addition the pre-development of the APS based star tracker for AlphaBus is currently under completion and the refurbishment activities on the Bepi Colombo STR Prototype for its in-flight test on board Proba-2 are running.