NanoST: Autonomous Star Tracking for High-Precision CubeSat Attitude Determination

As satellite missions become increasingly autonomous and mission requirements continue to demand higher levels of precision, reliable attitude determination systems are more important than ever. To support this evolution, Solar MEMS has developed the NanoST, a compact and autonomous star tracker specifically designed for CubeSat and small satellite applications.

The NanoST delivers accurate spacecraft attitude determination through celestial navigation techniques while maintaining a lightweight, robust, and plug-and-play architecture ideal for modern space missions.

Autonomous Stellar Navigation

The NanoST operates by capturing images of a star field using an integrated CMOS sensor. Through onboard image processing and star pattern recognition, the system autonomously identifies stars and constellations to calculate the precise orientation and pointing of the satellite.

By relying on celestial references, the NanoST provides highly accurate attitude determination independent of external navigation systems, making it a resilient and reliable solution for spacecraft Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC).

High-Accuracy Performance

Designed specifically for CubeSat environments, the NanoST combines compactness with high-performance capabilities.

Key technical characteristics include:

• Full Field of View: 15°
• Attitude Accuracy:
  • XY (3σ): 30 arcsec
  • Z (3σ): 200 arcsec
• Acquisition Time: < 3 seconds
• Update Rate: > 1.5 Hz
• Full Sky Coverage

These specifications enable rapid and precise spacecraft orientation updates, supporting missions that require stable pointing performance and accurate attitude control.

Robust Design for Space Applications

The NanoST architecture combines highly reliable Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components together with selected space-grade parts, creating a balanced solution that offers robustness, reliability, and cost efficiency.

The system has also been designed to maintain performance in challenging operational conditions, including situations where the Moon enters the field of view, without degradation to operation.

Additional operational capabilities include:

• Nominal Slew Rate: 0.2°/s
• Maximum Slew Rate: 1°/s
• Magnitude Limit: 6.2 mi

Plug-and-Play Integration

One of the major advantages of the NanoST is its fully standalone operation. The system is designed as a true plug-and-play solution, eliminating the need for additional electronic support modules or external processing units.

This simplified architecture reduces spacecraft integration complexity, shortens development timelines, and minimizes power and resource requirements,  key advantages for CubeSat and small satellite missions.

The NanoST outputs:

• Attitude Quaternion
• Photos
• Housekeeping Telemetry (HK Telemetry)

allowing seamless integration into existing spacecraft avionics and GNC systems.

Supporting the Next Generation of Small Satellite Missions

As the space industry moves toward more autonomous, resilient, and cost-efficient satellite platforms, advanced attitude determination systems such as the NanoST are becoming essential enabling technologies.

With its compact design, autonomous operation, and high-accuracy performance, the NanoST demonstrates Solar MEMS’ continued commitment to delivering innovative navigation and guidance solutions for the next generation of space missions.