Performance Testing A New Medium Accuracy Star Tracker

• doi: 10.1109/AERO53065.2022.9843644
• title: Performance Testing a New Medium Accuracy Star Tracker
• publisher: IEEE
• isbn: 978-1-6654-3761-5
• issn: 1095-323X
• rank: 3231
• access_type: LOCKED
• content_type: Conferences
• abstract: At Ball Aerospace, we have developed the advanced CT-2020 star tracker featuring a new state of the art CMOS detector with exceptional radiation tolerance and performance suitable for spacecraft in any orbital regime. Performance testing has verified the CT-2020 can achieve single head accuracies of better than 1.5 arc-second autonomous attitude output in the cross axes (total error), while also allowing for customer driven “directed search” mode for even higher accuracy performance. A qualification unit was tested to and met the qualification requirements of the Space and Missile Systems Center Standard SMC-S-016. Thermo-mechanical stability testing verified that the innovative lens design and detector package mount is stable over launch and on-orbit environments. Stray light performance verified the CT-2020 lightshade, which is coated with Surrey NanoSystems's Vantablack, provides a Sun exclusion angle of less than 33 degrees. The coating allows for less light shade baffles which minimizes the star tracker's size and weight. Software testing verified the user can export full frame data from the image sensor while simultaneously tracking stars at full accuracy. Low angular rate bright star testing correlated very well with high fidelity models and the design unit showed exceptional calibration performance in Ball's state of the art flight proven test systems. Results of the qualification units performance testing and SMC-S-016 testing will be discussed in the paper.
• article_number: 9843644
• pdf_url: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=9843644
• html_url: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9843644/
• abstract_url: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9843644/
• publication_title: 2022 IEEE Aerospace Conference (AERO)
• conference_location: Big Sky, MT, USA
• conference_dates: 5-12 March 2022
• publication_number: 9843190
• is_number: 9843194
• publication_year: 2022
• publication_date: 5-12 March 2022
• start_page: 1
• end_page: 8
• citing_paper_count: 0
• citing_patent_count: 0
• download_count: 331
• insert_date: 20220810
• index_terms:
  • ieee_terms:
    • Space vehicles
    • Costs
    • Thermomechanical processes
    • Stars
    • Detectors
    • Stray light
    • Sun
  • dynamic_index_terms:
    • Test Performance
    • Star Tracker
    • High Performance
    • Image Sensor
    • Camera Sensor
    • Total Error
    • Angular Speed
    • Angular Rate
    • Radiation Tolerance
    • Radiation-tolerant
    • Radiation Hardness
    • Calibration Performance
    • High-fidelity Model
    • Lens Design
    • Design Of Lenses
    • High Accuracy Performance
    • CMOS Detector
    • Field Of View
    • Field-of-view
    • Correlation Function
    • Correlation Length
    • Low Noise
    • Analog-to-digital Converter
    • Analog-to-digital
    • Digital-to-analog Converter
    • Technical Performance
    • Electromagnetic Interference
    • Radio Frequency Interference
    • Quality Testing
    • Point Spread Function
    • Hardware-in-the-loop
    • Hardware In The Loop
    • Hardware-in-loop
    • Random Measurement Error
    • Mechanical Design
    • System-on-chip
    • System On Chip
    • Engineering Unit
    • Technology Unit
    • Sunshade
    • Solar Angle
    • Sun Angle
    • Cost-competitive
    • Electronic Components
    • Round Of Testing
• isbn_formats:
  • format: Print on Demand(PoD) ISBN, value: 978-1-6654-3761-5, isbnType: New-2005
  • format: Electronic ISBN, value: 978-1-6654-3760-8, isbnType: New-2005
• authors:
  • Author Name: Stephen Lutgring
    Affiliation: Ball Aerospace, Boulder, CO
    Author URL: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/author/37089478875
    ID: 37089478875
    Order: 1
    Author Affiliations:
    • Ball Aerospace, Boulder, CO
  • Author Name: Emil Tchilian
    Affiliation: Ball Aerospace, Boulder, CO
    Author URL: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/author/37089478553
    ID: 37089478553
    Order: 2
    Author Affiliations:
    • Ball Aerospace, Boulder, CO

Image Sensor

• sensor_type: CMOS
• resolution: 1024x1024
• dynamic_range: not specified
• pixel_size: not specified
• dark_current: not specified

Optical Data

• focal_length: not specified
• aperture: not specified
• field_of_view: ~10 deg
• distortion: not specified

Performance Metrics

• frame_rate: 10 fps at full resolution
• power_consumption: <12W

Applications & Benefits

• cell_imaging: not specified
• benefits: Compact, high-performing flexible star tracker at a cost-competitive price point.

Supporting Organizations

• supported_by: Ball Aerospace

Manuscript Details

• publication_date: 5-12 March 2022

Relevancy Score

• score: 10
• missing_fields:
  • dynamic_range
  • pixel_size
  • dark_current
  • focal_length
  • aperture
  • distortion
  • signal_to_noise_ratio
  • sensitivity
  • shutter_speed
  • noise

Processed JSON Filename

request_dbd5089f-dc49-483d-9f03-2915a47349c8-performance_testing_a_new_medium_accuracy_star_tracker.json