BASS Bi-Axis Sun Sensor
Airbus Defence and Space
Compact coarse bi-axis sun sensor from Airbus with wide field of view and extensive in-orbit heritage.
Technical specifications
- Mass
- ~65 g
- Field of view
- ±90°
- Operating temperature
- -40°C to +90°C
- Flight heritage
- 290+ units in orbit, 2.5M+ operational hours
About
The BASS (Bi-Axis Sun Sensor) is a coarse sun sensor developed by Airbus Defence and Space for attitude determination and safe-mode sun acquisition on satellites of all classes. The sensor provides two-axis sun angle measurement over a wide field of view, is compact and lightweight at around 65 g, and operates across a broad temperature range from -40°C to +90°C.
BASS has accumulated a strong flight record, with more than 290 units delivered into orbit and over 2.5 million cumulative operational hours without a reported failure, making it a low-risk, off-the-shelf choice for AOCS sun-pointing and safe-mode designs.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
