In News
- Researchers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have developed a low-cost star sensor for astronomy and small CubeSat class satellite missions.
[Exploded view of Starberry-Sense star sensor]
Image Courtesy: TH
About Starberry-Sense
- The star sensor named Starberry-Sense can help small CubeSat class satellite missions find their orientation in space.
- the Starberry-Sense is ready for launch on the PS4-Orbital Platform by ISRO and can be used for CubeSats and other small satellite missions in the future.
- Features: Based on commercial/off-the-shelf components, this star sensor costs less than 10% of those available in the market.
- The brain of the instrument is a single-board Linux computer called Raspberry Pi, which is widely used among electronics hobby enthusiasts.
- Researchers coupled some highly optimised algorithms with a Raspberry Pi and turned it into a potent star sensor, named StarBerry-Sense.
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Star sensor
- Any satellite needs to know where it is pointed in space, and the instrument used for this purpose is called a star sensor.
- The position of stars in the sky is fixed relative to each other and can be used as a stable reference frame to calculate the orientation of a satellite in orbit.
- This is done by correctly identifying the stars in the sky towards which the star sensor is pointed. The star sensor is essentially a celestial compass.
SmallSats
- Small spacecraft (SmallSats) focus on spacecraft with a mass of fewer than 180 kilograms and about the size of a large kitchen fridge.
- Even with small spacecraft, there is a large variety of sizes and masses that can be differentiated.
CubeSats
- They are a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites.
- The cube-shaped satellites are approximately four inches long, have a volume of about one quart, and weigh about 3 pounds
- The development of CubeSats has advanced into its own industry with government, industry, and academia collaborating for ever-increasing capabilities.
- They now provide a cost-effective platform for science investigations, new technology demonstrations, and advanced mission concepts using constellations, and swarms disaggregated systems.
- In recent years CubeSats and small satellite missions have gained huge popularity. These missions utilize commercially available components for their design and development,
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Source: TH
