Session
Weekend Poster Session 1
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Sun sensors are commonly used attitude determination equipment which measure a spacecraft’s attitude relative to the sun. Multiple types of low-cost sun sensors were developed for the SOURCE and EIVE CubeSats. The SOURCE sun sensors consist of single photodiodes which are placed in a one-sensor-per-face as well as a pyramid arrangement. EIVE employs digital vector sun sensors based on quad-pin photodiodes. The SOURCE sun sensors in the one-sensor-per-face arrangement archive an accuracy of <10° while the pyramid arrangement accomplishes an accuracy of <7.5° without and <5° with calibration. EIVE’s vector sun sensors offer an raw accuracy of 3°±5°. Multiple calibration approaches are presented with the best results leading to an accuracy of 0.7±3°. A direct comparison between the SOURCE and EIVE sensor types and configurations can be drawn since the same test bench was used to measure all sensors. The objective of this paper is to present and compare the different sun sensor concepts and their results.
Comparison of the Low-Cost Sun Sensors of the SOURCE and EIVE CubeSats
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Sun sensors are commonly used attitude determination equipment which measure a spacecraft’s attitude relative to the sun. Multiple types of low-cost sun sensors were developed for the SOURCE and EIVE CubeSats. The SOURCE sun sensors consist of single photodiodes which are placed in a one-sensor-per-face as well as a pyramid arrangement. EIVE employs digital vector sun sensors based on quad-pin photodiodes. The SOURCE sun sensors in the one-sensor-per-face arrangement archive an accuracy of <10° while the pyramid arrangement accomplishes an accuracy of <7.5° without and <5° with calibration. EIVE’s vector sun sensors offer an raw accuracy of 3°±5°. Multiple calibration approaches are presented with the best results leading to an accuracy of 0.7±3°. A direct comparison between the SOURCE and EIVE sensor types and configurations can be drawn since the same test bench was used to measure all sensors. The objective of this paper is to present and compare the different sun sensor concepts and their results.
