Goodrich Corporation's micro electromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes have successfully passed inorbit testing on the European Space Agency's (ESA) Earth Explorer CryoSat-2 satellite.
The MEMS gyros are the smallest ever flown by ESA and were used to monitor the satellite's rate of spin.
The gyros were integrated into the SiREUS rate sensor to form Europe's first MEMS-based device for space vehicle navigation.
The SiREUS rate sensor includes three 1cm² MEMS gyros from Atlantic Inertial Systems (AIS).
The gyros, which can run on 6W and weigh 750g are development extensions of units already used worldwide for automotive electronic stability control.
The gyros are developed for space through ESA's technology programmes with Selex Galileo, AIS and Systems Engineering and Assessment (SEA).
