Heritage autonomous star sensor for LEO-GEO-deep space: <1/18yr lifetime, >470 units contracted including NASA Orion/Artemis.
ASTRO APS Autonomous Star Sensor
Heritage autonomous star sensor for LEO-GEO-deep space: <1/18yr lifetime, >470 units contracted including NASA Orion/Artemis.
Description
The Jena-Optronik ASTRO APS is an autonomous star sensor using radiation-hard CMOS APS detector technology, designed for all mission scenarios including LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO, and deep space/crewed missions. With integrated optics and electronics in a single housing (154x154x237mm including baffle), the ASTRO APS delivers less than 1 arcsec (1-sigma) random error across-boresight and less than 8 arcsec boresight, with bias error under 5 arcsec. Sampling rate is 10 Hz (up to 32 Hz available); acquisition time is less than 10s on switch-on and less than 5s for re-acquisition. Supports HAS2 and STAR1000 APS CMOS detectors. Over 470 units contracted with approximately 200 in space. Notable missions include Alphasat (first flight 2013), NASA Orion/Artemis I and II, and the Roman Space Telescope.
Specifications
| Field of view | 20 deg circular |
|---|---|
| Optics | Refractive, 43 mm focal length, f/1.2, rad-hard glass |
| Detector | 1024x1024 px; HAS2 or STAR1000 APS CMOS |
| Attitude random error xy (1-sigma) | <1 arcsec |
| Attitude random error z (1-sigma) | <8 arcsec |
| Bias error | <5 arcsec (all axes) |
| Sampling rate | 10 Hz (up to 32 Hz on demand) |
| Acquisition time | <10s switch-on; <5s re-acquisition |
| Max slew rate | 3.0-5.0 deg/s (detector dependent) |
| Sensitivity | 6.0 mi |
| Mass | ~2 kg (incl. baffle, GEO shielding, DC/DC, MIL-1553) |
| Dimensions | 154 x 154 x 237 mm (incl. baffle) |
| Power | <6 W (Peltier OFF); <12 W (Peltier ON) |
| Supply voltage | 28 V, 50 V, 100 V |
| Interface | MIL-STD-1553B, RS422 |
| Sun exclusion angle | 26 deg half-cone |
| Operating temperature | -30 to +60 deg C |
| Design lifetime | >18 years |
| TRL | 9 (~200 units in space, Orion/Artemis flight heritage) |
