The shadow position sensors (SPS) formation flying metrology subsystem for the ESA PROBA-3 mission: present status and future developments
Date Issued
2016
Author(s)
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Buckley, S.
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O'Neill, K.
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Baccani, C.
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Casti, M.
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Romoli, M.
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Accatino, L.
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Thizy, C.
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Servaye, J. S.
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Mechmech, I.
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Renotte, E.
Abstract
PROBA-3 [1] [2] is a Mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) composed of two formation-flying satellites, planned for their joint launch by the end of 2018. Its main purposes have a dual nature: scientific and technological. In particular, it is designed to observe and study the inner part of the visible solar corona, thanks to a dedicated coronagraph called ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun), and to demonstrate the in-orbit formation flying (FF) and attitude control capability of its two satellites. The Coronagraph payload on-board PROBA-3 consists of the following parts: the Coronagraph Instrument (CI) with the Shadow Position Sensor (SPS) on the Coronagraph Spacecraft (CSC), the Occulter Position Sensor (OPSE) [3] [4] and the External Occulting (EO) disk on the Occulter Spacecraft (OSC). The SPS subsystem [5] is one of the main metrological devices of the Mission, adopted to control and to maintain the relative (i.e. between the two satellites) and absolute (i.e. with respect to the Sun) FF attitude. It is composed of eight micro arrays of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) [6] that shall be able to measure, with the required sensitivity and dynamic range as asked by ESA, the penumbral light intensity on the Coronagraph entrance pupil. With the present paper we describe the testing activities on the SPS breadboard (BB) and Development Model (DM) as well as the present status and future developments of this PROBA-3 metrological subsystem.
Coverage
Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave
All editors
MacEwen, Howard A.; Fazio, Giovanni G.; Lystrup, Makenzie
Series
Volume
9904
Start page
99044Z
Conferenece
Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave
Conferenece place
Edinburgh, UK
Conferenece date
26 June-1 July, 2016
Issn Identifier
0277-786X
Ads BibCode
2016SPIE.9904E..4ZF
Rights
open.access
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SPIE 2016 - The shadow position sensors (SPS) formation flying metrology subsystem for the ESA PROBA-3 mission- present status and future developments.pdf
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