Auriga™ star tracker embarks once again on a groundbreaking new project, COMPASSO mission!
The COMPASSO mission, in collaboration with the DLR Galileo Competence Center at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), is set to demonstrate, in space, an iodine optical clock—developed by DLR—on the Bartolomeo platform, attached to the International Space Station (ISS). This project is investigating cutting-edge technologies to enhance position determination on Earth and time reference.
High-precision optical clocks, combined with optical links, are of particular interest for future generations of satellite navigation systems, such as Galileo. Through a bidirectional optical link, the iodine optical clock will be aligned and synchronized with high-precision terrestrial clocks. Additionally, the optical link between the ISS and the ground station will allow researchers to assess the influence of atmospheric turbulence on signal frequency and speed, paving the way for more accurate navigation systems.
The Auriga™ star tracker provides accurate attitude knowledge for the ArgUS carrier of the COMPASSO mission. Indeed, Auriga™, with its high pointing accuracy and optimized shape and weight, plays a critical role in the COMPASSO mission by enabling precise pointing of the bidirectional optical link between the Bartolomeo platform and the ground station.
Sodern will soon deliver an Engineering Model to the DLR Galileo Competence Center, with a Flight Model scheduled for June 2025.
Once again, Auriga™ is poised to tackle another exciting challenge and mission, contributing to the future of satellite navigation!