Aas 03-003 the Inertial Stellar Compass: a Multifunction, Low Power, Attitude Determination Technology Breakthrough

The Inertial Stellar Compass (ISC) is a miniature, low power, stellar inertial attitude determination system with an accuracy of better than 0.1o (1 sigma) in three axes. The ISC consumes only 3.5 Watts of power and is contained in a 2.5 kg package. With its embedded onboard processor, the ISC provides attitude quaternion information and has Lost-in-Space (LIS) initialization capability. The attitude accuracy and LIS capability are provided by combining a wide field of view Active Pixel Sensor (APS) star camera and MicroElectroMechanical System (MEMS) inertial sensor information in an integrated sensor system. The performance and small form factor make the ISC a useful sensor for a wide range of missions. In particular, the ISC represents an enabling, fully integrated, microsatellite attitude determination system. Other applications include using the ISC as a “single sensor” solution for attitude determination on medium performance spacecraft and as a “bolt on” independent safe-hold sensor or coarse acquisition sensor for many other spacecraft.