CubeSTAR: a tiny space accelerometer for Earth Observation applications
CubeSTAR : un petit accéléromètre spatial pour des applications d'observation de la Terre
Résumé
The New Space has opened opportunities for low cost space applications. ONERA is currently leading several cubesat/nanosat missions: CREME for the sun radiation monitoring, CROCUS for the study of electrostatic satellite charging, FlyLab a demonstrator of optical and radar systems. Our laboratory is giving some support to all these teams because of its long experience in space missions.
Indeed, the laboratory has been involved in all major space Geodesy missions by providing highly sensitive electrostatic accelerometer for more than 5 decades. Since the 70's, the resolution of the accelerometers has been improved leading to outstanding results with the ESA GOCE mission where the accelerometers exhibited a few 10 -12 m.s -2 .Hz -1/2 resolution. Out of Geodesy application, the accelerometers developed in ONERA have allowed to test the Equivalence Principle on board the MICROSCOPE satellite at a level of 10-15, establishing in 2022 the best test ever made.
Taking advantage of this particular know-how quite unique in the world, the laboratory is studying the feasibility of measuring the Earth's Energy Imbalance (EEI) by a direct measurement of the acceleration exerted by the radiation pressure on the satellite. The current EEI budget is obtained by combining space measurement of radiometers and local temperature measurements of Oceans. But the combination from different sources gives rise to bias and uncertainties. The objective of the Accelerometer measurement is to solve these uncertainties.
A new accelerometer more compact, CubeSTAR, is under study in the laboratory in view of an utilisation in cubesats for science application. EEI characterisation or Geodesy mission with multiple cubesats may emerge as a costless alternative to 500-kg satellites.
In this presentation, from previous experiments, we will describe the preliminary design drivers of the accelerometer candidate with its potential performance and show how it may be used in different space applications.
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