OHB System AG awarded Northrop Grumman [NOC] a contract to supply a space inertial reference system for Germany’s SARah satellite-based radar reconnaissance system, Northrop Grumman said August 22.
The company will provide its Scalable Space Intertial Reference Unit-L (Scalable SIRU-L) to offer sensor pointing/stabilization and attitude control on the SARah satellite system. This is the first international application of the Scalable SIRU-L configuration, Northrop Grumman said.
The Scalable SIRU-L is derived from the SIRU model but is affordable because its calibration process leads to a shorter delivery schedule and lower cost, the company said.
The Scalabel SIRU is a long-life attitude control product that supports commercial, government, and civil space missions. It is based around a patented hemispheral resonator gyro, which has had over 35 million operating hours in space with no mission failures.
“We are excited to provide our allies with a cost-effective, low-risk solution that will ensure mission effectiveness throughout the entire life of the mission,” said Dean Ebert, vice president of the Northrop Grumman Mission Systems navigation and positioning systems business unit.