European IMU for space navigation

EURISA aims at ensuring long term availability of a European cost-effective and performant IMU based on fiber-optic gyroscopes and quartz accelerometers for the future space missions.

As of today, all European missions depend on American IMU, mainly Northrop Grumman LN200S, with no alternative in Europe for compact and cost-effective IMU.The main goal of the project is to deliver an engineering model of this IMU at TRL equal or higher than 6.

The engineering model will be tested in space environments and its inertial performances will be measured and validated.

On top of that, the project will also deliver crafted hybridization algorithms to provide the best possible navigation performancesEURISA relies on 4 actors of the European space ecosystem: Airbus Defence & Space, ETH Zurich, DLR Bremen and iXblue.

They have all the required competencies and know-hows to make a success out of this project: space electronics, inertial sensors, knowledge on the space mission requirements, hybridization algorithms, space environment and also manufacturing and quality.In practice, the project will be built on current developments of the partners that have already reached TRL 4 and above: compact fiber-optics gyroscopes, quartz accelerometer, space electronic boards based on COTS and hybridization algorithms.

In the frame of EURISA, these different elements will be further developed or adapted, then qualified and finally assembled together to make the future European IMU.By using current developments and many synergies together with the use of COTS, we ensure a cost-effective product and a safe path toward a TRL 6 maturity.