Thermal Deformation Analysis of a Star Camera to Ensure Its High Attitude Measurement Accuracy in Orbit

With the continuous advancement of high-resolution satellite technology, the impact of thermal deformation on the performance of star cameras is becoming more significant, particularly in relation to installation conditions and orbital environments. To address this challenge, an in-depth investigati...

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Main Authors: Fan Jiang, Lei Wang, Huaxia Deng, Lei Zhu, Dezhu Kong, Hongyu Guan, Jinguo Liu, Zhongsu Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/23/4567
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author Fan Jiang
Lei Wang
Huaxia Deng
Lei Zhu
Dezhu Kong
Hongyu Guan
Jinguo Liu
Zhongsu Wang
author_facet Fan Jiang
Lei Wang
Huaxia Deng
Lei Zhu
Dezhu Kong
Hongyu Guan
Jinguo Liu
Zhongsu Wang
author_sort Fan Jiang
collection DOAJ
description With the continuous advancement of high-resolution satellite technology, the impact of thermal deformation on the performance of star cameras is becoming more significant, particularly in relation to installation conditions and orbital environments. To address this challenge, an in-depth investigation of the thermal design of a star camera is conducted in this study. The thermal deformation of this camera is evaluated systematically through simulation analysis, thermal balance tests, and on-orbit temperature measurements. In addition, a simulation analysis is used to identify and quantitatively evaluate the thermal deformation error sources that affect the spatial attitude measurement accuracy of the star camera. The results indicate that thermal deformations of the optical system, the mounting surface of the star camera, and the support significantly impact on-orbit measurement accuracy. Ultimately, the limit error attributable to on-orbit thermal deformation is determined to be 0.62″. In the thermal balance experiments, the maximum absolute difference between the test results and the thermal simulation analysis results is under 1.8 °C. Additionally, analysis of the orbital temperature data reveals that the maximum absolute difference between the orbital results and the thermal simulation results is 1.18 °C, while the attitude accuracy of the star sensor is better than 0.54″. These findings validate the effectiveness of the thermal design and the accuracy of the thermal simulation analysis. The analysis of error sources presented in this paper offers crucial insights for effectively controlling the thermal deformation errors of star cameras and lays the groundwork for optimizing overall thermal design.
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issn 2072-4292
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Remote Sensing
spelling doaj-art-3b580fee57da45a0a96cbcf253a0a36c2025-08-20T02:50:40ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922024-12-011623456710.3390/rs16234567Thermal Deformation Analysis of a Star Camera to Ensure Its High Attitude Measurement Accuracy in OrbitFan Jiang0Lei Wang1Huaxia Deng2Lei Zhu3Dezhu Kong4Hongyu Guan5Jinguo Liu6Zhongsu Wang7Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, ChinaChangchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, ChinaChangchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, ChinaChangchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, ChinaChangchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, ChinaChangchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, ChinaChangchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, ChinaWith the continuous advancement of high-resolution satellite technology, the impact of thermal deformation on the performance of star cameras is becoming more significant, particularly in relation to installation conditions and orbital environments. To address this challenge, an in-depth investigation of the thermal design of a star camera is conducted in this study. The thermal deformation of this camera is evaluated systematically through simulation analysis, thermal balance tests, and on-orbit temperature measurements. In addition, a simulation analysis is used to identify and quantitatively evaluate the thermal deformation error sources that affect the spatial attitude measurement accuracy of the star camera. The results indicate that thermal deformations of the optical system, the mounting surface of the star camera, and the support significantly impact on-orbit measurement accuracy. Ultimately, the limit error attributable to on-orbit thermal deformation is determined to be 0.62″. In the thermal balance experiments, the maximum absolute difference between the test results and the thermal simulation analysis results is under 1.8 °C. Additionally, analysis of the orbital temperature data reveals that the maximum absolute difference between the orbital results and the thermal simulation results is 1.18 °C, while the attitude accuracy of the star sensor is better than 0.54″. These findings validate the effectiveness of the thermal design and the accuracy of the thermal simulation analysis. The analysis of error sources presented in this paper offers crucial insights for effectively controlling the thermal deformation errors of star cameras and lays the groundwork for optimizing overall thermal design.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/23/4567star camerathermal deformationsimulation analysisexperimental researchon-orbit temperature measurement
spellingShingle Fan Jiang
Lei Wang
Huaxia Deng
Lei Zhu
Dezhu Kong
Hongyu Guan
Jinguo Liu
Zhongsu Wang
Thermal Deformation Analysis of a Star Camera to Ensure Its High Attitude Measurement Accuracy in Orbit
Remote Sensing
star camera
thermal deformation
simulation analysis
experimental research
on-orbit temperature measurement
title Thermal Deformation Analysis of a Star Camera to Ensure Its High Attitude Measurement Accuracy in Orbit
title_full Thermal Deformation Analysis of a Star Camera to Ensure Its High Attitude Measurement Accuracy in Orbit
title_fullStr Thermal Deformation Analysis of a Star Camera to Ensure Its High Attitude Measurement Accuracy in Orbit
title_full_unstemmed Thermal Deformation Analysis of a Star Camera to Ensure Its High Attitude Measurement Accuracy in Orbit
title_short Thermal Deformation Analysis of a Star Camera to Ensure Its High Attitude Measurement Accuracy in Orbit
title_sort thermal deformation analysis of a star camera to ensure its high attitude measurement accuracy in orbit
topic star camera
thermal deformation
simulation analysis
experimental research
on-orbit temperature measurement
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/23/4567
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