Star trackers for satellites on the global space marketplace

Roundup

Star trackers for satellites can play a vital role in attitude determination.

For thousands of years explorers used the stars to navigate across the globe. Around 6,000 stars are visible to the naked eye under the best possible conditions (the sort you might get hundreds of miles out at sea for example) and mariners have typically used one or more of 58 navigational stars to chart a course on the open ocean.

Today’s explorers are pioneering new technologies and ideas in a completely different environment. Instead of mighty wooden ships they’re seeking new horizons with small satellites that can be just centimetres in length.

The technologies that combine in the build, launch and operation of these smallsats are some of the most advanced that humanity has ever created. But incredibly, these highly technical systems can still use the same approach that sailors have employed for centuries as part of their navigation – through the use of simple components called star trackers.

In this post we take a look at this fascinating piece of space equipment, look at how star trackers for satellites work, discuss what to think about when selecting a star tracker for your satellite, and give an overview of some of the products available on the global marketplace for space.

If you’d like to skip the primer information and go straight to the product list, please click here.

Please note that this article is for information only and is not purporting to be an assessment of any of the products listed. If you need more information at any time, please don’t hesitate to contact us. In addition, while we try to be as comprehensive as possible new star trackers are coming to the market regularly and we will keep this article updated with new models and suppliers over time – so please check back often or consider bookmarking this page.


How star trackers for satellites work

In essence a star tracker is a simple navigational tool that can determine the orientation of its host satellite relative to certain stars.

It scans the starscape to pick out known stars and constellations contained in its catalogue and uses these to determine the satellite’s attitude to enable star tracker navigation.

The stars are located using cameras or photocells and onboard processing systems identify the images and process the measured position in the reference frame of the spacecraft.

Around 50-60 main navigational stars are primarily used to determine the satellite’s position, although for larger and more complex missions and spacecraft entire star field databases can be referenced in order to determine orientation.


What makes a good star tracker?

In order to work effectively a star tracker needs to be able to record accurate measurements of star positions during the satellite’s orbit. It needs to account for interference effects of light reflecting from the satellite’s surfaces or exhaust plumes during propulsion sequences.

The sensitive sensing components also need to be adequately protected from high radiation levels to continue working effectively and should also consume as little as power as possible.

As with most smallsat equipment, mass is obviously a factor. In addition, with many satellites incorporating a wider range of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) and bespoke sub-systems, interoperability and assembly options are also important when selecting star trackers for satellites.


Star trackers for satellites available on the global marketplace

In this section, you can find a range of star trackers for satellites available on the global market. These listings will be updated when new products are added to the global marketplace for space at satsearch.com – so please check back for more or sign up for our mailing list for all the updates.

We have also put together an overview of sun sensors if you require additional sensing equipment.

Get more information on all products listed at the click of a button

We can help you access quotes, lead times, or any other information from all of the suppliers listed below (and more) with our simple, free tender system. Just share your details with us and wait for the responses to arrive in your inbox.


The arcsec Twinkle Star Tracker is a CubeSat star tracker designed to offer arc second range pointing accuracy, based on custom algorithms that have been optimized for precision, robustness, and low computational cost.

The arcsec Star simulator is designed for space applications. It allows carrying out hardware-in-the-loop tests with arcsec's star trackers. The simulator allows to generate a variety of star images with realistic noise sources and rotational rates. A custom lens ensures that the image is displayed to the star tracker as it would be in Space.

GEN1: CubeStar

DATASHEET
CAD
USER MANUAL
ICD

The CubeSpace CubeStar is a miniature, low-power, medium-accuracy star tracker designed for CubeSat and small satellites. Its low power is achieved by lowering the update rate to 1 Hz, using a wide field-of-view lens, and designing power-efficient electronics. CubeStar outputs inertially referenced attitude quaternions or matched vector pairs for use in an external ADCS application.

The CubeSpace CubeStar is miniature star tracker developed for space applications. It is a medium to high accuracy star tracker designed for low power consumption, in a small form factor. The tracker outputs quaternions directly and has both “lost in space” and tracking modes. A variety of baffles can be screwed directly onto the baffle thread, making it easily customizable for any mission.

The Sodern AURIGA-SA is a star tracker designed for small satellite missions. It has a plug-and-play integration for its optical head and electronic unit. It consists of 3 Optical Heads that can be connected to one electronic unit through the SpaceWire interface. Its optical head also has baffle protection for direct sun and earth illumination.

The Sodern AURIGA-CP is a star tracker designed for space applications. It has an optical head with software hosted in the spacecraft's onboard computer and also has 3 Optical Heads that can be connected to the onboard computer. AURIGA-CP has the software integrated into the spacecraft processor and can be made available for any processor. Its optical head also has baffle protection for direct sun and earth illumination.

The Sodern A-DEOS is an optical ground support equipment (OGSE) designed for space applications. It has the capability to project a pattern of stars according to the selected attitude. A-DEOS is composed of a simulator mounted on the baffle and a computer with a preloaded application offering in local mode a graphic user Interface (GUI). The GUI further helps to select parameters and functions and in remote mode receives attitude data from the spacecraft simulation computer.

The Sodern HYDRA-TC is a star tracker designed for space applications. It consists of two optical heads connected to one redundant electronic unit. The HYDRA-TC is is a star track with multiple heads optimized for GEO satellite missions. It has lenses made of radiation-hardened glasses as well as a HAS-2 (CMOS) detector with a thermo-electric cooler. It also consists of baffle protection for direct sun and earth illumination.

The Sodern HYDRA-M is a star tracker designed for space applications. It is a star track with multiple heads optimized for low mass and power consumption. It consists of two optical heads connected to one electronic unit with up to 8 m long cable. HYDRA-M also has lenses made of radiation-hardened glasses as well as a HAS-2 (CMOS) detector without a thermo-electric cooler. It also consists of baffle protection for direct sun and earth illumination.

The Sodern HYDRA is a star tracker with multiple heads designed for space applications. It has 4 optical heads that can be connected to 2 electronic units with up to 8 m long cable. HYDRA also consists of lenses made of radiation-hardened glasses as well as HAS-2 (CMOS) detector with a thermo-electric cooler. It has baffle protection for direct sun and earth illumination and its electronic unit's lifetime can be extended with additional shielding for GEO missions.

The Sodern HYDRA-CP is a star tracker designed for space applications. It consists of lenses made of radiation-hardened glasses. HYDRA-CP has the software integrated into the spacecraft processor and can be made available for any processor. It also consists of a HAS-2 (CMOS) detector with a thermo-electric cooler as well as baffle protection for direct sun and earth illumination.

The Solar MEMS STNS is a Star tracker designed for the attitude determination of small satellites. It captures images of a Star Field with an internal CMOS device and identifies stars and constellations to determine the pointing and attitude of the satellite with high accuracy. The sensor's robustness is based on highly used COTS devices together with space-grade parts, and it is plug & play, so it does not need any additional electronic support or module for operating.

A fully autonomous star tracker with a mass of 42g and 600 mW nominal power consumption when running at 5 Hz update rate. The tracker provides attitude determination accuracy (3 σ) of < 30 arcseconds pitch and yaw and < 200 arcseconds roll. Co-developed with Berlin Space Technologies.

A more advanced version of the ST200. The ST400 star tracker has a mass of 280g and < 700 mW nominal power consumption when running at 5 Hz update rate. The tracker provides attitude determination accuracy (3 σ) of < 10 arcseconds pitch and yaw and < 120 arcseconds roll. Co-developed with Berlin Space Technologies.

The ST400 is an autonomous star-sensing solution for demanding microsatellite missions. The ST400 has been jointly developed by Berlin Space Technologies and Hyperion Technologies. The device has space heritage and was qualified according to the highest standards. The design life in LEO is 5 years. Multiple ST-400s can be coupled to form a redundant configuration.

The ST200 is one of the most successful star trackers in the world. More than 100 devices have been delivered to customers. Developed in cooperation with Hyperion Technologies B.V. the ST200 is one of the world’s smallest autonomous star trackers fully suitable for Cubesats or other sophisticated nanosatellites.

The Jena-Optronik ASTRO XP (eXtreme Precision) is an autonomous high accuracy star sensor of the 0.1arcsec class, designed for space applications. It is well suited for science and earth observation missions operating in the LEO and GEO. It is available in various configurations, which also comprises a full redundant arrangement. ASTRO XP is designed to operate under the conditions of a peak solar flare.

The Jena-Optronik ASTRO CL is a radiation hardened star tracker designed to meet the demands of new space market; especially for satellite constellations. The product weighs approximately 280 grams and consumes power less less than 1 Watt. It has telecommand and telemetry interface of SpaceWire. ASTRO CL has an operational capability of ten years in the low earth orbit (LEO) and 18 years in the geostationary earth orbit (GEO).

KAIROSPACE offers a compact, fully autonomous star tracker, suitable for CubeSat and nanosat missions, with flight heritage since 2019. The star tracker includes an internal sensor cooling system to improve accuracy.

The system is intended for orbits that have a typical design life of 5 years and is suitable for CubeSat and NanoSat missions due to its small size, weight and power (SWaP). The tracker has an accuracy of 10 arcsec cross axis, and 27 arcsec at the boresight, and provides >99% sky coverage.

Intended for spaceflight, CubeSat, and NanoSat missions, the 475g unit is self-contained and features Lost in Space star identification. When power is applied the system receives quarternions accurate to 10 arcsec at 4 Hz rate, and exhibiting a maximum tracking rate >2° degrees per second.

The Rocket Lab ST-16RT2 is a star tracker designed for space applications. It has the capability to operate in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for 13 years and in the Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) for 9 years. The ST-16RT2 provides attitude quaternion and angular rates at 2 Hz with zero initial acquisition time and has an option for 5Hz operation. It consists of a full-custom lens with 16 mm f/1.6 4-element glass, specially designed for shock and vacuum.

The Rocket Lab ST-16HV is a star tracker designed for space applications. The ST-16HV uses an off-the-shelf optical solution in place of a bespoke lens, enabling mass production and cost savings. Using the same concept of operations and electronics design as the ST-16RT2, the ST-16HV is drop-in compatible with the ST-16RT2 making bus customization trivial on a mission-by-mission basis.

The TY-Space PST4S-H1 Star Tracker has radiation-resistant hardware designed for space applications. It has the capability to operate for seven years in space. The PST4S-H1 weighs approximately 310 grams and consumes 0.8W of power with an input of 5V. It also consists of a system-on-chip (SoC).

The TY-Space HST-A1 Star Tracker is a compact sized system used in the detection of space debris. It is also reliable for attitude determination and has the capability to operate for seven years in LEO. The system weighs approximately 4.7 kg and has a power consumption rate of 3.5W.

The TY-Space PST3S-K3 Star Tracker is designed for CubeSat, Microsatellite, and Nanosatellite applications. It weighs approximately 110 grams and consumes 1W of power with an input of 5V. The PST3S-K3 has the capability to operate for five years in space.

The TY-Space NST10-G1 Star Tracker is an autonomous product designed for space applications. It weighs approximately 700 grams and consumes 2W of power. The NST10-G1 has precision for attitude determination. It also has the capability to operate for 5 years in space.

The TY-Space NST4S-A2 Star Tracker is a fully autonomous system designed for space applications. It also consists of an attitude sensor. It's 25° sun exclusion angle plus the secondary baffle that the star tracker will work at 25° and outside the 20° as well as it is not disturbed by stray light. The NST4S-A2 weighs approximately 350 grams and consumes 0.8W of power. It has the capability to operate in space for 7 years.

The TY-Space PST3S-H4 Star Tracker is a fully autonomous product designed for space applications. It weighs approximately 85 grams and consumes 0.8W of power. The PST3S-H4 has the capability to operate for three years in space.

The TY-Space NST20-G2 Star Tracker is an autonomous system designed for space applications. It weighs approximately 1200 kg and consumes 3.5W of power. The NST20-G2 has a secondary baffle to ensure that it works well at an Exclusive Angle of 25°. It also has the capability to operate for 5 years in space.

The TY-Space NST5S-A1 Star Tracker is designed for space applications. It has an integrated mechanical design with System-on-Chip (SoC) and a radiation hardened design with PCB. The NST5S-A1 is an autonomous and compact-sized star tracker with the sun exclusive angle at 30°. It weighs approximately 380 grams, consumes 1.5W of power, and has the capability to operate for 7 years in space.

The TY-Space PST3S-H5 Star Tracker is designed for space applications. It weighs approximately 130 grams and consumes 0.8W of power with an input of 5V. The PST3S-H5 has the capability to operate for five years in space.

The TY-Space PST3S-K4 Star Tracker is designed for space applications. It has the capability to operate for three years in space. The PST3S-K4 weighs approximately 60 grams and consumes 0.9W of power with an input of 5V.

The TY-Space NST20-G3 Star Tracker is designed for space applications. It weighs approximately 1200 kg and consumes 4W of power. The NST20-G3 is an autonomous star tracker and has an attitude determination accuracy of 1″(3σ). It has the capability to operate for 7 years in space.

The TY-Space PST3S-H1 star tracker is a star tracker designed to be radiation resistant and smaller in volume with a refractive optical lens.

The TY-Space PST3S-H2 star tracker is a star tracker designed to be radiation resistant and smaller in volume with a refractive optical lens.


Thanks for reading! If you would like any further help identifying a star tracker for your specific needs, please file a request on our platform and we’ll use our global network of suppliers to find an option.

digitalization
engineering
procurement
star trackers
supply chain

related articles

Blog home

Microsatellite and CubeSat platforms on the global market

CubeSat thrusters and small satellite propulsion systems

Ground station service providers: an overview of telemetry and telecommand communication services and networks for small satellites