Automatic Intensity based image sensing as a means to avoid albedo errors in GNC systems

Sunsensors are core parts of most Satellite GNC systems because they are small, low power and highly resilient. Most of them are however plagued with albedo errors leading to significant errors in the attitude control system due to reflections of the Sun on the Earth or satellite parts.

True digital Sunsensors use 2D imaging to discriminate between direct Sun illumination and albedo signals. These sensors used to be complex and therefore costly with most of them having poor radiation tolerance.

More than 20 years of development has led to Lens R&D B.V. introducing a radiation hardened single chip true digital Sunsensor (dubbed IBIS) which uses intensity based imaging to lower power consumption and increase resilience to cosmic radiation.

The presentation will focus on the unique properties of this sensor and the development status (potentially even showing the first ever real measurement results on devices that should be received by then)