MicroADS - Spacecraft Attitude Determination System

为了正确运行，航天器需要能够确定它们相对于其他一个或多个物体的方位(“姿态”)。通常，这是目前使用恒星跟踪器和太阳传感器等仪器实现的。通常，每个航天器需要多个仪器才能在所有方向上提供足够的视场，对于太阳传感器来说，通常需要为光源的方向矢量的每个分量使用单独的仪器。此外，当使用太阳传感器时，通常具有分别具有低精度但视场宽(粗太阳传感器)和高精度但视场小(精细太阳传感器)的单独探测器。现有的恒星跟踪器和太阳传感器通常相对较大(每台仪器最高可达~500 cm^3)，而且可能很重(每台仪器数百克)。由于航天器的体积和质量都很重要，因此开发一种低质量、低体积的姿态确定系统，具有高精度、宽视场，并可以减少每颗卫星所需的仪器数量，对工业界和学术界都具有极其重要的价值。苏塞克斯大学发明了一种新型的姿态测定系统，其工作原理与现有仪器不同。这种名为MicroADS的系统使用了一种新颖的光学架构，提供了比同类系统更宽的视场和更高的精度。MicroADS也明显更小，质量更低。这项发明的专利已经申请了。这个STFC IPS项目将提高MicroADS仪器的技术准备水平，以便它可以在项目结束时迅速商业化，从而为英国带来技术、科学和经济利益。

In order to operate correctly, spacecraft need to be able to determine their orientation ("attitude") relative to some other object or objects. Typically, this is currently achieved using instruments such as star trackers and sun sensors. Often, multiple instruments are required per spacecraft to give sufficient field-of-view in all directions, and it is common with sun sensors for separate instruments to be required for each of the components of the direction vector to the light source. Furthermore, when sun sensors are used, it is common to have separate detectors that, respectively, have a low accuracy but a wide field of view (coarse sun sensors), and a high accuracy but a small field of view (fine sun sensors). Existing star trackers and sun sensors are often relatively large (up to ~500cm^3 per instrument) and can be heavy (hundreds of grams per instrument). Since volume and mass are both at a premium on spacecraft, the development of a low-mass, low-volume attitude determination system that offers high accuracy, a wide field-of-view, and that can reduce the number of instruments required per satellite, would be extremely valuable to both industry and academia. A novel type of attitude determination system that works on a different principle to existing instruments has been invented at University of Sussex. The system called MicroADS exploits a novel optical architecture to deliver a wider field-of-view and better accuracy than comparable systems. MicroADS is also significantly smaller and lower mass. A patent for the invention has been filed. This STFC IPS project will raise the technology readiness level of the MicroADS instrument such that it can be rapidly commercialised at the end of the project in order to bring technological, scientific and economic benefit to the UK.