Miniature Star Sensor Using “Camera-on-a-Chip” CMOS Arrays

In Phase II, the Microcosm team will develop a brassboard miniature star sensor, MicroMak, which will provide nanosatellites with high bandwidth, moderate- to high accuracy, low cost attitude determination. It will be designed with plug-and-play capability consistent with a newly proposed generation of space avionics interface standards being developed at AFRL. MicroMak enables nano- and microsatellites to attain a level of attitude control performance previously available only on larger, more expensive spacecraft. Phase I established the sensor preliminary design and identified key design and performance issues. Phase II will complete the detailed sensor design, addressing the need for both a very low cost, moderate accuracy version, and a relatively low cost, high accuracy, and/or high reliability version, to satisfy different customer requirements. The sensor will be fabricated and then tested by imaging real stars at night and in the AFRL Responsive Space Testbed. Advanced processing capabilities of complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) “camera-on-a-chip” focal plane arrays (FPAs) lead to a star sensor consisting of an optical head, three FPAs feeding star identification data directly to the spacecraft processor, and the sensor housing. The Phase II end product will be a sensor, ready for transition to a space-qualified prototype for on-orbit testing.