This paper presents Optoi’s Optocouplers, being developed in the frame of ESA’s European Component Initiative (Phase 2). Their design and main test results are reported, together with the plan of future activities, including the Evaluation Test Plan and radiation tests.
Proba-V is the third mission of ESA’s Programme for In-orbit Technology Demonstration (IOD), based on a small, high performance satellite platform and a compact payload. Besides, the main satellite instrument aiming at Vegetation imaging, Proba-V embarks five technological payloads providing early flight opportunities for novel instruments and space technologies. Successfully launched by the ESA VEGA launcher in May 2013, it has now completed its commissioning and the full calibration of platform, main instrument and additional payloads and is, since last October, fully operational.
The High dEnsity space foRM cOnnector Demonstration or HERMOD is the last payload selected to fly on Proba-V. The payload objective is to validate through an actual launch and in orbit high-density optical fibre cable assembly, cumulate space heritage for fibre optics transmission and evaluate possible degradation induced by the space environment compared to on-ground tests. The future applications of this technology are for intrasatellite optical communications in view of mass reduction, the electrical grounding simplification and to increase the transmission rate. The project has been supported under an ESA GSTP contract. T&G Elektro (Norway) developed and tested the different optical cable assembly to be validated in the payload. The electrooptic modules, control, power and mechanical interfaces have been developed by DAS Photonics (Spain).
The payload contains four optical channels to be studied through the experiment, two assemblies with MTP/PC connectors and two assemblies with MPO/APC connectors. Optical data is transmitted in the four independent channels using two optoelectronic conversion modules (SIOS) working at 100Mbps including 2 full duplex channels each. A FPGA is used to generate, receive and compare the different binary patterns. The number of errors (if any) and Bit Error Rate (BER) is sent to the satellite TM interface. HERMOD successfully went through all mechanical and environmental tests before the integration in a very limited time. The telemetry data is currently sent to ground on daily basis. All the channels have survived the launch and no BER has been measured with the exception of channel 2, currently recording a BER of 3.06*10-16, that exhibits from time to time a burst of errors due to synchronizing issues of the initial data frame. It is expected to observe during the operating life of the payload the first errors within the channel 4 which was designed on purpose with reduced power margin.
This paper will present the full overview of the HERMOD technology demonstrator including the development, testing, validation activity, integration, commissioning and 1 year in-orbit exploitation results.
This paper presents a new European optocoupler type. This component has been developed by Optoi in the framework of ESA’s European Component Initiative (Phase 2). The most recent results are reported, specifically related to a full ESCC Evaluation Testing.
Following our previous article about Optical fiber connectors for space at the previous ICSO2012 conference, we present here optical connector will be qualified using the ESCC system and report on the final qualification of the AVIM and Mini-AVIM.
Miniaturisation of scientific instrumentation for space applications leads to better use of the available resources (e.g.
volume, mass and power) which can create the potential to integrate more complex functionality. MEMS and in
particular MOEMS devices have already a wide range of applications in terrestrial industries (beamers, telecom
switching, etc). MOEMS are, of course, very promising for future space applications because of their potential to reduce
mass, size and consequently launch costs. However, ESA interest in MOEMS is above all generated by their mission
enabling capabilities such as for example MEMS shutters or micro-mirrors for MOS (Multi-Object Spectrometers).
The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems
(MOEMS), and to illustrate the available European sources of MOEMS components for applications in space. The paper
will also give a general overview of the ESA strategy for Photonics components with space applications in mind. This
strategy is documented in the Photonics dossier currently being drafted to capture future technology needs related to
European space activities for the forthcoming 5 years.
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