Airbus Defence and Space will provide its fibre-optic gyro (FOG) unit for the surface water and ocean topography (SWOT) mission led by Nasa, along with space agencies from France, Canada and the UK.
Planned to launch in 2020, the SWOT mission will study the Earth’s surface water, observe ocean surfaces in detail, as well as measure how bodies of water change over time.
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According to an agreement signed between Airbus Defence and Space and Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the gyro will be integrated at the heart of the KaRIn (Ka-band radar interferometer) instrument, which contains two Ka-band SAR antennae at opposite ends of a 10m boom with both antennae transmitting and receiving the emitted radar pulses along both sides of the orbital track.
Airbus Defence and Space space equipment head Jean-Pierre Domenget said: "This is a new milestone in the Astrix family success story.
"The Astrix200 design uses the FOG technology that can be integrated into the heart of the Instrument without creating thermal or mechanical distortions.
"The high-precision Astrix200 gyro will measure the roll parameters, which will enhance the performance of the instrument that measures water surface height."
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By GlobalDataJointly developed by Airbus Defence and Space and iXSea, the Astrix family of FOGs is claimed to provide high-accuracy rotation rate data with low noise, which is essential for space system stabilisation, pointing and attitude control.
With high eliability, more than 15 years of continuous operation, low power consumption, low mass, quick start and versatile interfaces, the Astrix FOGs are said to be suitable for various space application, such as Earth observation and telecommunications satellites.
Aiming to reduce a satellite’s equipment cost, the Astrix products have so far been selected by ten customers worldwide.
