Our two-axes and low cost sun sensor is called Nano Sun Sensor (NanoSSOC). It is a great option for high accurate sun-tracking, pointing and attitude determination. There are already 500 of them present in various nanosatellites constellations in just two years. The whole Solar MEMS team is excited with this great acceptance. We tell you more.
Its Tiny size, low weight and low power consumption make NanoSSOC sun sensor the best ADCS solution for nanosatellite platforms like Cubesats. NanoSSOC sun sensor is based on MEMS fabrication processes to achieve high integrated sensing structures. It provides high sensitivity thanks to the geometrical dimensions of the design, allowing to measure the incident angle of sun ray in two orthogonal axes.
This Solar MEMS product is already implemented in various nanosatellites constellations in just two years, ¡with 500 units sold!
“During last year nanoSSOC-D60 sales represented approximately 20% of the company’s turnover.” Tamara Guerrero, Business Development Manager at Solar MEMS
In order to obtain useful information for attitude determination and the sunlight incident angles, NanoSSOC-D60 provides it via UART, I2C or SPI protocol directly from a microcontroller.
“The main argument is the impressive flight heritage, with several millions of hours accumulated in orbit since 2016.” José Miguel Moreno, Solar MEMS Manager.
Applications of NanoSSOC-D60
Here are some applications of this solar sensor:
- Low cost satellite attitude determination
- Accurate Sun position determination
- Satellite solar panel positioning
- Attitude Failure Alarm
- Satellite positioning in specific trajectory points
- Balloons and UAVs control
NanoSSOC-D60, presents High accurate sun vector determination for attitude control and determination systems in satellites with 500 units already on the market, but, what is the most remarkable quality of this sensor? Our Business Development Manager, Tamara Guerrero, says “It’s a combination of high accuracy, minimum size, weight and power consumption that makes this unit the perfect solution for nano-satellites.”
This system presents numerous advantages that are enjoying the companies which are using it already. As our CTO, Manuel Rodríguez, says “The main advantage is the plug-an-play philosophy of this unit: nanoSSOC-D60 provides the sun light incident angles and other useful information for attitude determination directly via UART, I2C or SPI protocol, so no extra calculations or algorithm routines are required in the OBC as these are already included in an internal microcontroller of the unit. On the other hand we are always on time with the deliveries of our orders. Our compromise is a valuable point for our customers.”
What makes this sensor different to others? Our CTO adds that “Mainly the digital interface compared with other options that are analog and require the satellite computer to perform the calculations to obtain the solar vector. In our case, nanoSSOC-D60 directly provides this information and other interesting outputs about sun detection, albedo, etc. The other main difference is the higher accuracy, enabling the satellite to perform more precise maneuvers.”
But, what does this great evolution of nanoSSOC-D60 mean? “500 units, 25% sales increment this year and it has been present in various nanosatellites constellations since 2-3 years ago.” José Miguel Moreno, Solar MEMS Manager, states. About the % Estimated sales in the next months, “Important impact! We have ~100 units confirmed to be delivered in the next few months.”
Currently we are planning different customizations for several customers, in order to improve the unit capabilities for specific missions with high demanding requirements, and also developing tailored designs based on this model for new nanosatellite constellations.
We are so excited with nanoSSOC-D60 great acceptance, and with the more than 500 currently implemented.
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