Fine Digital Sun Sensor(FDSS) Design and Analysis for STSAT-2

We have developed satellite devices for fine attitude control of the Science & Technology Satellite-2 (STSAT-2) scheduled to be launched in 2007. The analog sun sensors which have been continuously developed since the 1990s are not adequate for satellites which require fine attitude control system. From the mission requirements of STSAT-2, a compact, fast and fine digital sensor was proposed. The test of the fine attitude determination for the pitch and roll axis, though the main mission of STSAT-2, will be performed by the newly developed FDSS. The FDSS use a CMOS image sensor and has an accuracy of less than 0.01degrees, an update rate of 20Hz and a weight of less than 800g. A pinhole-type aperture is substituted for the optical lens to minimize the weight while maintaining sensor accuracy by a rigorous centroid algorithm. The target process speed is obtained by utilizing the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) in acquiring images from the CMOS sensor, and storing and processing the data. This paper also describes the analysis of the optical performance for the proper aperture selection and the most effective centroid algorithm.