Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd and Science Tokyo, one of Japan’s leading science and technology universities, have collaboratively conducted a program to test the capabilities of the DMU41 inertial measurement unit (IMU) for low earth orbit (LEO) space applications. Â
The test program explored the use of the company’s high-performance DMU41 for space platform guidance and attitude control in commercial LEO.Â
This involved exposing the DMU41 to several rounds of radiation testing to simulate exposure to naturally occurring radiation in the lower earth orbit, including single event effect (SEE) and total ionizing dose (TID) tests.
The DMU41 is a tactical-grade, 9 degrees of freedom IMU. It is a robust micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) product that operates in temperatures ranging from -40oC to +85oC, delivering exceptional low noise performance, bias instability, and angle random walk.
The DMU41’s performance challenges that of typical fibre-optic gyro IMUs in a far more compact package – measuring just 50x 50 x 50mm, weighing under 180g and consuming less than 2.5w.
Silicon Sensing General Manager, David Somerville, commented, “Working with the prestigious Science Tokyo on this new test programme to demonstrate the capabilities of our DMU41 IMU has been a milestone development for us, as we celebrate our 25th year of business.
“The global LEO satellite market, with a CAGR predicted at around 17% over the next 4 – 5 years, is an important future market for us – and an area where we are already experiencing growing demand. In this environment performance, size, endurance and power consumption are all critical factors where we believe our technology can make a real performance difference.”
