Infrared (IR) Earth Horizon Sensor
CubeSpace ADCS
The CubeSense Earth is a compact and reliable infrared earth horizon sensor providing high-accuracy nadir determination for satellite control, especially in eclipse, without needing a star tracker.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Mass
- 0.018 kg
- Power
- 0.2 W
- Largest dimension
- 35 mm
- Design life
- 5 years
Normalised to common units so this product can be compared with others in its category. The supplier's own wording is below.
As published by the supplier
- Accuracy (*)
- 1° (roll and elevation) 3-sigma
- Max slew rate (°/s)
- 14
- Mass
- 18 g
- Dimensions [wxhxl]
- 35x24x20 mm
- Detection field of view [°] (Horizontal/vertical)
- 90/80
- Detection field of view [°] (Diagonal)
- 90
- Data bus*
- CAN/UART/RS-485 **I2C available for custom solutions
- Connector
- Molex Pico-Lock Plus
- Update rate
- Up to 2 Hz
- Supply voltage
- 3.3 V
- Peak power
- 280 mW
- Average power
- 200 mW
- Radiation
- 24 kRad
- Random vibration
- 14.16 g RMS (NASA GEVS)
- Thermal vacuum
- -20 to 80 °C
- Thermal cold and hot start
- -35 to 70 °C
- Design life
- 5+ Years
About
The CubeSense Earth is a compact and reliable infrared earth horizon sensor designed to provide high-accuracy nadir determination throughout the entire orbit. This capability is crucial for accurate satellite control during eclipse periods, offering a less expensive alternative to star trackers. Each unit undergoes rigorous verification using CubeSpace’s in-house infrared lens calibration and earth emulator jig. The sensor features an integrated processor to reduce the processing demand on the ADCS computer, a common node design, and shares electronic design and heritage across the Gen2 product range. It is qualified for space environments with specifications including 14.16 gRMS random vibration, 24 kRad radiation tolerance, and a lifetime of 5+ years. It supports various data buses like CAN, UART, and RS-485, with I2C available for custom solutions, and uses a Molex Pico-Lock Plus connector.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.