Enhanced Star Tracker (EST)

Applied Technology Associates (ATA) proposes to develop an Enhanced Star Tracker (EST). This radiation hardened miniature star tracker will meet the key goals for accuracy in a compact package by combining the best of proven star tracker designs with the critical component and packaging advances necessary to reduce system radiation susceptibility. ATA has received a letter of support from Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems regarding the EST (see pg. 19). Current Air Force, MDA, and DoD applications require smaller, lighter, low-power, rugged, and radiation resistant star trackers as part of their IMU packages. Precision pointing of instruments requires a star tracker to update exact position periodically against the stellar reference frame. Ideally these star trackers accommodate multiple optical heads to ensure a continuous reference, yet are small enough to be coupled tightly to and move with the instrument. Radiation tolerance is also a key factor in these applications since they will be designed for long mission life operating in space regimes and missions exposed to severe radiation. The desired degradation in performance due to radiation exposure of all electronic components as well as the optical coatings of the star tracker subsystem should not exceed 30% after absorbing 300kRad(Si). The desired “End of Life” performance goal should provide inertial pointer measurement errors of less than one (1) arc-second.