Sun Sensors

AAC Clyde Space provides small satellite technologies and space-based data services, offering end-to-end solutions from satellite components to data analytics for various applications.

AAC Clyde Space

SS200

The SS200 is a compact and low-power sun sensor designed for attitude determination in CubeSats and small satellites.

Field of view	±60° (half-angle per axis)
Accuracy	<1° (1σ) in FOV
Update rate	Up to 100 Hz
Interface	I2C / Analog
Supply voltage	3.3 V

price on requestdatasheet

Redwire is an integrated aerospace and defense company providing advanced technologies for space infrastructure, autonomous systems, and multi-domain operations to government agencies and defense cont

Adcole Space (Redwire)

Coarse Sun Sensor (Cosine Type)

A single-detector analog sun sensor using the cosine principle for solar array pointing, sun acquisition, and fail-safe recovery. Over 1,000 units deployed since the 1960s across h

Sensor type	Analog cosine-response photodiode
Axes	1 (single axis per detector)
Configuration	Cosine type (single detector)
Field of view	Hemispherical (custom baffle options available)
Output	Analog current/voltage proportional to cos(angle)

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Adcole Space (Redwire)

Coarse Sun Sensor (CSS) Pyramid

A two-axis analog sun sensor assembly containing four cosine-response detectors in a pyramid arrangement for full-hemisphere sun detection. Used for solar array pointing, sun acqui

Sensor type	Analog cosine-response photodiode (×4)
Axes	2 (two-axis measurement)
Configuration	Pyramid (4-detector assembly)
Dry mass	0.13 kg
Average power	N/A (passive optical detection)

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Adcole Space (Redwire)

Digital Sun Sensor (±32°)

A two-axis digital sun sensor with ±32° field of view offering higher accuracy than the ±64° variant. Radiation-hardened to 100 krad (Si) with Hi-Rel components for GEO and deep-sp

Field of view	±32°
Axes	2 (per optical head)
Output	Serial digital — two 10-bit words + sun presence bit
Radiation hardness	100 krad (Si)
Components	Hi-Rel qualified

price on request

Adcole Space (Redwire)

Digital Sun Sensor (±64°)

A two-axis digital sun sensor with ±64° field of view providing medium-accuracy attitude determination. Up to 8 optical heads per electronics unit with proven deep-space flight her

Field of view	±64°
Axes	2 (per optical head)
Optical heads per electronics unit	1–8 (configurable)
Output	Serial digital data stream (sun angle + sun presence bit)
Dry mass	1.3 kg (electronics unit + 1 head)

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Adcole Space (Redwire)

Fine Spinning Sun Sensor (±64°)

A high-accuracy spinning spacecraft sun sensor with redundant optical heads and electronics delivering better performance than the Miniature variant, for sun acquisition and attitu

Field of view	±64°
Dry mass	0.71 kg
Average power	0.4 W
Architecture	Redundant — 1 optical head per electronics channel
Application	Spinning spacecraft attitude determination, sun acquisition, fail-safe recovery

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Adcole Space (Redwire)

Fine Sun Sensor

A high-precision sun sensor for attitude control applications requiring sub-arcminute accuracy and millidegree angular resolution. Available in single or dual-axis configurations a

Accuracy	Sub-arcminute
Resolution	Millidegree
Axes	1 or 2 (configurable)
Field of view	Custom (per mission requirement)
Flight heritage	Yes

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Adcole Space (Redwire)

MAI-KE Sun Sensor

The MAI-KE Sun Sensor is an analog sun sensor designed for spacecraft missions, providing an output voltage from 0 to 250mV.

Manufacturer	MAI
Lead time	90 days

price on request

Adcole Space (Redwire)

Miniature Spinning Sun Sensor

A compact sun sensor for spinning spacecraft providing sun aspect angle and sun crossing pulses for spin rate and spin axis orientation determination, with ±87.5° FOV and 0.25 kg m

Field of view	±87.5°
Dry mass	0.25 kg
Average power	0.5 W
Measurements	Sun aspect angle, sun crossing pulses
Application	Spinning spacecraft attitude determination

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Berlin Space Technologies (BST) designs and mass manufactures small satellite systems and technologies, providing end-to-end solutions for space missions.

Berlin Space Technologies

FSSA-110

The FSSA-110 is a Fine Sun Sensor Assembly from Berlin Space Technologies that hosts up to three analogue fine sun sensors, providing sun vector data to the satellite's OBC.

Accuracy	5°
Update rate	10 Hz
Coverage	Hemispherical
Sun sensor interface	5x Analogue per sensor
Data interface	RS422

price on requestdatasheet

Swedish green propulsion pioneer; HPGP / LMP-103S thrusters using ADN propellant with 12% higher Isp than hydrazine; Bradford ENOVIA group.

Bradford Space

Bradford Coarse Sun Sensor (CSS)

Internally-redundant coarse sun sensor with full-sky 180×180° FOV, ±2° accuracy, 215 g, dual 9-pin D-sub interface, >100 kRad TID.

FOV	180 × 180°
Accuracy	±2° (3σ) at BoL
Resolution	< 0.1°
Noise equivalent angle	Negligible
Mass	215 g

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Bradford Space

Bradford Cosine Sun Sensor (CoSS)

Compact 25 g cosine sun sensor, 160×160° FOV, ±3° OBC-limited accuracy, 0 W passive, >100 kRad TID, 30×30×14 mm.

FOV	160 × 160°
Accuracy	±3° (3σ) OBC-limited
Resolution	< 0.1°
Noise equivalent angle	< 0.1° (3σ)
Mass	25 g

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Bradford Space

Bradford Fine Sun Sensor (FSS)

High-accuracy fine sun sensor with ±0.3° accuracy (3σ), 128×128° FOV, 375 g, >100 kRad TID tolerance for demanding missions.

FOV	128 × 128°
Accuracy	±0.3° (3σ) across mission lifetime
Resolution	< 0.03°
Noise equivalent angle	< 0.05° (3σ)
Mass	375 g

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Bradford Space

Bradford Mini Fine Sun Sensor (Mini FSS)

Ultra-compact 50 g sun sensor with ±0.2° accuracy (3σ), 128×128° FOV, 0 W passive operation, 50×46×17 mm.

FOV	128 × 128°
Accuracy	±0.2° (3σ) with LUT on OBC
Resolution	< 0.03°
Noise equivalent angle	< 0.005° (3σ)
Mass	50 g

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Bradford Space

Bradford Redundant Cosine Sun Sensor (COSS-R)

Self-redundant cosine sun sensor, 160×160° FOV, ±3° OBC-limited accuracy, 15 g ultralight, 0 W passive, >100 kRad TID.

FOV	160 × 160°
Accuracy	±3° (3σ) OBC-limited
Resolution	< 0.1°
Noise equivalent angle	Negligible
Mass	15 g

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South African manufacturer of space-proven, plug-and-play Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) for small satellites, with over a decade of flight heritage.

CubeSpace ADCS

Fine Sun Sensor – CubeSense Sun

CubeSense Sun is a high-accuracy CMOS-based fine sun sensor with a wide field of view (FOV). Optimized for low power consumption, it features a pre-calibrated distortion model,…

Manufacturer	CubeSpace
Lead time	12 weeks

price on request

GomSpace is a Danish CubeSat manufacturer producing satellite platforms, subsystems, and end-to-end mission solutions. Products include the NanoCom radio modules, NanoPower EPS, and complete 1U–12U satellite platforms. GomSpace has one of t

GomSpace

NanoSense FSS

The NanoSense FSS is an ultra-compact, low-power vector sun-sensor with an I2C interface, designed for precise two-axis solar angle measurements in CubeSat AOCS.

Form factor	22 x 11 x 5 mm
Mass	2.2 grams
Interface	I2C
Dimensions	22 x 11 x 5 mm
Operating temperature	-40…100 °C

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Dutch manufacturer of precision optical components and sun sensors for space missions, with flight heritage on ESA programs including LISA.

Lens R&D

MAUS cubesat sunsensor

The MAUS is the world's first radiation-hardened analogue fine Sunsensor for CubeSat applications, suitable for missions beyond low Earth orbit.

Manufacturer

Lens R&D

price on request

Leonardo SpA (Space Division) designs, develops, and produces space launchers, propulsion systems, satellites, and provides space system services including launch management and satellite control.

Leonardo SpA (Space Division)

S3 Smart Sun Sensor

The Leonardo S3 (Smart Sun Sensor) is a two-axis solar sensor based on an APS (Active Pixel Sensor) CMOS detector, combining the functions of fine and coarse sun sensors in a singl

Detector	APS CMOS
FOV	128 x 128 deg (resizable)
Accuracy (2-sigma)	<0.02 deg
Resolution	<0.005 deg
Update rate	10 Hz

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Polish smallsat hardware company designing and manufacturing components and subsystems for CubeSats and small satellites, serving commercial and institutional space customers across Europe.

Needronix

Eagle Plus Sun Sensor

Ultra-high-accuracy CubeSat sun sensor — 0.0015° precision, 12g, I2C/SPI digital output, ideal for precision pointing missions.

Accuracy	0.0015°
Mass	12 g
Supply voltage	3.3 V
Interface	I2C / SPI (digital)
Applications	Precision pointing, optical communications alignment, high-accuracy ADCS

price on request

Needronix

Eagle Sun Sensor

Fine sun sensor for CubeSats and small satellites — 0.09° accuracy, ±60° FOV, 12g, 3.3V supply, digital I2C/SPI output. Suitable for nano/microsatellites requiring high-accuracy su

Accuracy	0.09°
Field of view	±60°
Mass	12 g
Supply voltage	3.3 V
Interface	I2C / SPI (digital)

price on request

Needronix

Swan GEO Sun Sensor

High-dynamic-range sun sensor specifically optimized for GEO operations — wide operating range handling full GEO illumination conditions without saturation.

Target orbit	Geostationary (GEO)
Key feature	High dynamic range for GEO illumination conditions
Applications	GEO attitude determination, momentum management, eclipse transitions

price on request

NewSpace Systems (NSS) manufactures spacecraft components and sub-systems, focusing on Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) products for commercial spacecraft manufacturers globally.

NewSpace Systems (NSS)

NSS CubeSat Sun Sensor

The CubeSat sun sensor determines the spacecraft body angles with respect to the sun. The sensor is extremely small and light to minimise the demands on nano-spacecraft. The…

Manufacturer

NewSpace Systems

€2 887

NewSpace Systems (NSS)

NSS Fine Sun Sensor

A sun sensor determines a spacecraft’s orientation with respect to the sun. The front surface of the NewSpace Systems (NSS) NFSS-411 sensor is a synthetic sapphire window with a…

Manufacturer

NewSpace Systems

€10 499

NewSpace Systems (NSS)

SUN SENSOR (AQUILA series)

The AQUILA series sun sensors provide reliable and accurate sun-angle measurements for spacecraft attitude determination and control, suitable for primary and safe-mode sensing in

Flight heritage	Over 5 years in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Units delivered	Over 1000
Constellations baselined on	Multiple (currently five different constellations)
Field of view	< 114°
Accuracy	< 0.5 Average

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German manufacturer of miniature optoelectronic ADCS components for small satellites and CubeSats.

Pyxis Space

Sun Sensor

The Pyxis Space Sun Sensor is an ultra-compact, lightweight attitude sensor that provides coarse Sun direction measurement for CubeSat and nanosatellite platforms. At just 7 × 18 ×

Dimensions	7 × 18 × 24 mm³
Mass	12 g
Field of view	92° × 92°
Pointing accuracy	<0.2° (calibrated)
Interface	CAN 2.0B, I2C, UART

€2 500

Redwire is an integrated aerospace and defense company that designs and manufactures advanced technologies for space and defense, including optical imaging, sun sensors, solar arrays, and spacecraft p

Redwire Corporation

Redwire Coarse Sun Sensor – Cosine Type

Small, lightweight single-detector sun sensor with cosine-symmetric field of view for solar-array pointing and sun acquisition.

Configuration	Single detector
Field of view	Approximate cosine, conical symmetry
Mass	10 g nominal (0.353 oz)
Dimensions (flange x body x height)	1.10 x 0.74 x 0.47 in (2.8 x 1.9 x 1.2 cm)
Input power	None required

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Redwire Corporation

Redwire Coarse Sun Sensor – Pyramid

2-axis, 4-detector pyramid-configuration coarse sun sensor for solar array pointing and sun acquisition.

Configuration	2-axis, pyramid bracket
Number of detectors	4 per bracket (2, 6, 8 also available)
Field of view	2-pi steradian plus
Accuracy	+/-1 deg at null (typical), +/-5 deg over linear range
Mounting base dimensions	2.3 x 2.3 in (58 x 58 mm)

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SERENUM Space is a CubeSat component and BUS manufacturer, integrator, and service provider based in Brno, Czech Republic, and a commercially oriented subsidiary of VZLU AEROSPACE.

Serenum Space

NSS3 Sun Sensor

Miniature, fully autonomous digital sun sensor with <0.02° precision and CubeSat Space Protocol over I2C.

Field of view (FOV)	> ±50 degrees
Precision (w/o albedo)	< 0.02 deg @ 1σ
Dimensions (X/Y/Z)	20.5 x 10.5 x 4.8 mm
Mass	3 g
Operating temperature	-40 °C to 85 °C (100 TVC cycles -70 °C to +110 °C)

price on request

Solar MEMS Technologies is a Spanish company specializing in MEMS-based sun sensors and star trackers for satellite attitude determination systems.

Solar MEMS Technologies

Advanced Coarse Sun Sensor (ACSS)

The Advanced Coarse Sun Sensor (ACSS) is a highly reliable and radiation-hardened device for sun-tracking and attitude determination in space missions, measuring sun ray incident a

Industry	Space
Comm. interface	Analog
Flight mode	Yes
Engineering mode	Yes
Field of view (º)	±60, Custom

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Solar MEMS Technologies

FDSS Fine Digital Sun Sensor

High-accuracy digital sun sensor from Solar MEMS, immune to Earth albedo, with sub-millisecond Sun imaging and plug & play operation.

Industry	Space
Full field of view	140 x 140º
Accuracy	Better than 0.1 degree
Power supply	220VAC (50 Hz) 75 W max
Optical head temperature range	-50º to 100º C (no vacuum) / -40º to 80º C (vacuum)

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Solar MEMS Technologies

Nano Sun Sensor on a Chip (NanoSSOC)

The Nano Sun Sensor on a Chip (NanoSSOC) is a two-axis, low-cost sun sensor known for high accuracy in sun-tracking, pointing, and attitude determination, measuring incident sun ra

FOV	120x120 degrees
Accuracy	<0.5 degrees 1sigma
Interface	SPI/UART
Mass	<5 g
Power	<100 mW

price on request

Solar MEMS Technologies

nanoSSOC A60

Two-axis MEMS-based analog sun sensor for CubeSats and nanosatellites with ±60° field of view.

Interface	Analog
Flight mode	Yes
Engineering mode	Yes
Field of view	±60°, customization available
Supply voltage	3.3 V or 5 V

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Solar MEMS Technologies

nanoSSOC-D60

A two-axis, low-cost digital sun sensor on a chip for high-accuracy sun-tracking, pointing, and attitude determination on nanosatellite platforms.

Interface	Digital (UART, I2C, SPI)
Field of view	±60°
Supply voltage	3.3 V or 5 V
Operating temperature	-30°C to +85°C
Radiation tolerance	30 krad TID

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Solar MEMS Technologies

SSOC A60

MEMS-based analog fine sun sensor with ±60° FOV, calibrated with look-up table, for high-accuracy attitude determination.

Interface	Analog
Flight mode	Yes
Engineering mode	Yes
Field of view	±60°
Supply voltage	5 V, <25 mA consumption

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Solar MEMS Technologies

SSOC-D60

MEMS-based digital sun sensor on a chip that measures the two-axis incidence angle of sunlight for accurate sun-tracking and spacecraft attitude determination.

Measurement axes	2 axes (incidence angle of sun ray)
Output	Sun light incident angles and their derivatives, via digital interface
Processing	Integrated microprocessor, no external calculations required
Calibration	Individually calibrated and characterized; look-up table provided
Radiation protection	Metal shield and cover glass on optical eye to minimize ageing under high radiation

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Space Inventor ApS is a Danish second-generation NewSpace company providing non-ITAR CubeSat, nanosat, and microsat components, platforms, and turnkey satellite missions with full vertical integration, headquartered in Aalborg with offices

Space Inventor ApS

Fine Sun Sensor

The Fine Sun Sensor is a highly integrated module using four photodiodes to estimate the sun direction vector with high precision, connecting to a CSP network via CAN bus for integ

Precision

<1º (1 σ)

price on request

German space company designing, developing and producing solar arrays, laser-optical instruments and space electronics for satellite missions.

SpaceTech GmbH

SpaceTech CESS (Coarse Earth Sun Sensor)

Passive thermo-optical Coarse Earth and Sun Sensor providing spacecraft attitude information during de-spin and safe mode.

Sensor principle	Passive thermo-optical Coarse Earth and Sun Sensor
Power consumption	Zero power consumption
Configuration	6 orthogonally accommodated CESS heads to determine relative earth and sun vector
Standard hardware deliverable	6 flight model + 2 spare CESS heads incl. protective caps
Software deliverable	Flight S/W algorithm

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SPUTNIX is a Russian manufacturer of nanosatellite and microsatellite platforms, onboard subsystems and ground infrastructure, operating as a subsidiary brand of Sitronics Group.

SPUTNIX

Solar sensor

A compact sun sensor (SX-SBOX-SUNS-01) for the attitude control loop, with algorithms mitigating Earth-albedo glare, suitable for microsatellites and larger platforms.

Dimensions	43 x 43 x 16 (without fasteners) mm
Mass	45 g
Power voltage	6-36 without galvanic isolation
Power consumption, wt	0.4
Duplicated interfaces	CAN2B

price on request

SPUTNIX

Sun sensor

A compact, ultra-low-power two-axis digital CubeSat sun sensor (SXC-SD-01-3U) with factory calibration and CAN interface.

Model	SPUTNIX SXC-SD-01-3U
Feature	Mid-size satellites design in light and small package
Feature (2)	Ultra-low power CAN device
Feature (3)	Built-in DC converter for constant consumption
Configuration	Back cover option available

price on request

SPUTNIX

Sun Sensor (10 g, 28 × 23 × 11 mm)

The Sun Sensor is a two orthogonal axes digital sun sensor designed for nano-satellites, providing directional cosines of the sun's direction without requiring calibration.

Purpose	Designed for use in nano-satellites missions. CAN interface provides single cable connecti
Year of release	2017
Design life	1 years
Lead time	3 months
Flight qualification of the product	Yes

price on request

SPUTNIX

SXC-SD-01 Sun Sensor

Sun sensor for nanosatellite attitude determination and control. The CAN interface allows a single sensor or a daisy-chain of sensors; it measures the cosine of the angle to the Su

Type	Two-axis sun sensor
Dimensions (without connector)	28 × 23 × 7 mm
Mass	10
Supply voltage	4–14
Power consumption	15–25

price on request

SPUTNIX

SXL-SCOE-SS-01 Sun Sensor Calibration Bench

Bench for calibration and verification of small matrix and diode-type sun sensors (linear and two-dimensional). The sensor is rotated by known angles under illumination from a stat

Type	Sun-sensor calibration bench
Rotary stage	±100° vertical axis; unlimited horizontal axis
Angle-setting accuracy	0.002
Light source	Xe arc lamp (Newport 6258), 5800 K
Illuminance at sensor plane	30,000–140,000

price on request

SSBV Aerospace & Technology Group was a Dutch-led, technology-driven group of companies providing space and defence hardware, including smallsat subsystems, ground station equipment, and precision airdrop systems.

SSBV Aerospace & Technology

Cubesat Sun Sensor

The Cubesat Sun Sensor is a compact, low-power, and high-accuracy digital sun sensor designed for CubeSats and other small satellites, providing attitude determination and solar pa

Field of view	114°
Accuracy	< 0.5°
Mass	< 5 grams
Power	< 10 mA
Dimensions	33 mm x 11 mm x 6 mm

price on requestdatasheet

SSBV Aerospace & Technology

Fine Sun Sensor

The Fine Sun Sensor is a compact, low-power, and high-accuracy sun sensor designed for CubeSats and SmallSats, providing precise sun vector measurements for attitude determination

Product	Fine Sun Sensor
Field of view	140°
Frequency	5 Hz
Accuracy	+/- 0.1° (2 sigma)
Dimensions	34 mm x 32 mm x 21 mm

price on requestdatasheet

Taiwanese ADCS company in New Taipei City; CMG control moment gyroscopes, sun sensors, magnetorquers, and integrated nanosatellite attitude control systems; ISO 9001 certified.

Tensor Tech

Tensor Tech FSS-15 Fine Sun Sensor

The FSS-15 is a minimized fine sun sensor with high cost-performance, featuring an embedded microcontroller for tabulated error correction and digital interfaces (I2C and UART) for

Flight heritage	since 2022
Lead time	2 months
Field of view (FOV)	± 60 deg; 45 deg for optimal performance
Accuracy	± 0.1 deg with 45 deg FOV (1-sigma) ± 0.5 deg with 60 deg FOV (1-sigma)
Sampling rate	2, 4, 8, and 16 Hz adjustable by the user

price on request

Tensor Tech

TensorFSS-15M Fine Sun Sensor

The TensorFSS-15M is a 2-axis digital fine sun sensor for satellite attitude determination, offering 0.2-degree accuracy and low power consumption, with an optional embedded tri-ax

Field of view (FOV)	120 deg
Current (ACTIVE)	17.1 mA operated in continuous mode, 8 Hz
Interface	RS-485
Accuracy, 1-sigma	< 0.2 deg, < 0.1 deg upon request
Radiation tolerance	> 24 krad

price on request

Tensor Tech

TensorFSS-30M Fine Sun Sensor

High-precision 2-axis digital fine sun sensor with 120° FOV and sub-0.2° accuracy, featuring an embedded calibration table and optional tri-axis magnetometer.

Type	2-axis digital fine sun sensor
Field of view (FOV)	120°
Accuracy (1-sigma)	< 0.2°; < 0.1° upon request
Current (active, 8 Hz continuous)	17.1 mA
Interface	RS-485

price on request

Chinese manufacturer of high-precision star trackers, sun sensors, star simulators, and attitude control modules for satellites, with over 1,000 units flown on-orbit.

TY-Space Technology

SS-D Sun Sensor

The SS-D Sun Sensor is a high-accuracy digital sun sensor designed for spacecraft, providing 2-axis sun vector angle output.

Accuracy	5″[3σ]
Update rate	10 Hz
Field of view	120°
Dimensions	32× 36×13
Mass	45 g

price on request

TY-Space Technology

SS-G3 Sun Sensor

The SS-G3 Sun Sensor is a product offered by TY-Space Technology, likely used for attitude determination in space applications.

price on request

Diversified space and defense technology company building Starlab, a commercial ISS-successor space station, alongside national-security space and defense electronics systems.

Voyager Technologies

VANTAGESun

VANTAGESun is a low-cost, low-mass sun sensor designed for initial orientation and attitude determination during launch vehicle separation, initial attitude acquisition, and emerge

Full angle circular field of view	120°
Accuracy (Coarse)	< 5°
Accuracy (Medium)	< 1°
Accuracy	<5°
Interfaces	0 to 3.5 mA (typical) current sources, Two flying leads, 1.27m (50”) length, M22759/33-26

$3 500 – $7 500datasheet