HYDRA Star Tracker
Sodern
Best-in-class modular star tracker for institutional and commercial satellites: 2.8 arcsec XY precision, 245+ units launched, LEO-GEO-deep space, 1-4 optical heads, 18-year GEO lifetime.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Design life
- 18 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
- Precision xy
- 2.8 arcsec
- Temporal noise (XY/Z)
- 2.3 / 18 arcsec
- Acquisition robustness
- <=6 deg/s
- Tracking robustness
- <=8 deg/s
- Detector
- CMOS
- Optical heads
- 1-4
- Electronic units
- 1-2 (LEO, GEO, or TC dual-channel)
- Orbital range
- LEO, MEO, GEO, Deep Space
- Satellite size
- >12U
- Sun exclusion angle
- 26 deg
- Design lifetime
- 10 years LEO / 18 years GEO
- Flight heritage
- 245+ units launched, 10+ million hours in operation
About
The Sodern HYDRA is a highly modular star tracker recognized as best-in-class for institutional, scientific, telecommunications, and observation missions. The system supports 1 to 4 optical heads with 1 or 2 electronic units for redundancy, in centralized or stand-alone configurations. Three electronic unit versions are available: LEO, GEO (radiation-hardened), and TC (Two-Channel redundant). CMOS detector technology delivers 2.8 arcsec XY precision with temporal noise of 2.3/18 arcsec across/boresight. Robust acquisition at up to 6 deg/s and tracking at up to 8 deg/s. 26-degree sun exclusion angle. Over 245 units have been launched with more than 10 million hours of on-orbit operation accumulated. Suitable for all orbital regimes including deep space, with 10-year LEO and 18-year GEO design lifetime.
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.