ESA GNC Conference Papers Repository

Thales Alenia Space UK (TAS-UK) Ltd have been at the forefront of the migration of terrestrial MEMS technology to the space domain for over the last 10 years. This has resulted in the development of the MEMS Rate Sensor product SiREUS, which is used on SENTINEL-3 and MTG, and the Rover Vehicle Inertial Measurement Unit (RV-IMU) for EXOMARS. The evolution of these developments towards next generation MEMS Gyro products is targeting - significant reduction in recurring cost - an evolutionary improvement in performance over the next 5 years for telecom satellites, in particular within large constellations, with the products offering benefits to other space domains. There are two elements which are key to achieving the cost reduction; procurement/up-screening of suitable gyro detector batches from an existing terrestrial production line, and development of a space flight mixed signal ASIC. The ASIC development will provide the capability to also support the SAFRAN SA0120 MEMS Accelerometer, enabling later development of a compact MEMS IMU capability for future planetary missions. In order to maximise the benefits of the latest MEMS detector from SSSL before the mixed-signal ASIC is fully developed and qualified in 2019, an interim product based on FPGA/discrete electronics is planned with FM's available in 2018. This paper will present the status of these on-going developments, as well the overall product development planning to place the technology in context. Test results from on-going developments will be presented to support predicted product performance specification.