Newsroom
The Astrix Legacy:
Decades of Flight-Proven Reliability
From Deep Space to New Space: the Astrix heritage
For more than 20 years, Exail's Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology has supported some of the world's most demanding space missions. From deep-space exploration and scientific observatories to Earth observation satellites and telecommunications platforms, the Astrix family has accumulated millions of hours of successful in-orbit operation. Today, this unmatched flight heritage powers Astrix NS, a new generation of compact, industrialized inertial solutions designed for New Space.
Whether enabling precise attitude control for scientific telescopes, supporting autonomous navigation during planetary exploration or meeting the industrial constraints of large satellite constellations, the Astrix heritage provides a proven foundation for tomorrow's missions.
Why flight heritage matters
Unlike terrestrial applications, space systems cannot be repaired once deployed. Every component must demonstrate exceptional reliability before launch.
The Astrix heritage is built on decades of successful operations across GEO, LEO and deep-space missions, providing customers with a unique combination of precision, robustness and long-term stability.
SPACE-PROVEN FOG TECHNOLOGY for Demanding Missions
The Astrix family represents Exail's flagship space-qualified Fiber-Optic Gyroscope technology. Developed in close collaboration with Airbus Defence & Space, Astrix gyroscopes have flown aboard numerous ESA and international missions, supporting precise attitude determination and navigation in some of the harshest environments ever encountered.
More than a product family, Astrix is a technology platform whose proven architecture continues to evolve to address the challenges of modern space transportation and New Space constellations.
Astrix 200/120: high-precision gyroscope for accurate satellite pointing
Astrix 200 delivers one of the highest inertial performances available for civilian space applications. Its exceptional Angle Random Walk (<0.0001°/√h) combined with outstanding scale factor stability makes it the reference solution for missions requiring extreme pointing accuracy.
Qualified for permanent operation over missions exceeding 15 years, Astrix 200 has been selected for flagship ESA programmes including Aeolus, Sentinel-2, Solar Orbiter and Meteosat Third Generation.
Ideal for:
- Scientific observatories
- Earth observation
- Deep-space exploration
- High-end attitude control
Astrix 90: reliable gyroscope for long-life GEO missions
Designed specifically for demanding telecommunications satellites, Astrix 90 combines excellent inertial performance with long-term reliability. Its radiation-hardened architecture enables continuous operation over 15-year GEO missions while maintaining exceptional navigation accuracy.
Already operating aboard more than 60 satellites, Astrix 90 also serves deep-space exploration missions and can be configured as a complete IMU through the integration of accelerometers.
Ideal for:
- GEO Telecommunications
- Deep Space
- Orbit Raising
- Recovery Mode
- Space IMU applications
Specifications
|
Astrix 90 |
Astrix 200 |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Size |
φ 263 mm x h 192 mm |
Sensor φ 330 mm x h 280 mm and elec 150 mm x 145 mm x 295 mm |
|
Mass |
4.5 kg |
12.7 kg |
|
Power consumption (EOL) |
13.5 W |
22.5 W |
|
ARW |
< 0.005 °/√h |
< 0.0001 °/√h |
|
Bias stability over 1h (steady temperature) |
< 0.01 °/h |
< 0.0005 °/h |
|
Bias stability end of life (all effects included) |
0.3 °/h |
- |
|
Scale factor stability after @ 3σ (all effect included) |
300 ppm |
30 ppm |
|
Scale factor linearity @ 3σ |
500 ppm |
10 ppm |
|
Measurement range (full performances) |
60°/s qualified. Higher speed on demand |
60°/s qualified. Higher speed on demand |
|
Start up time |
< 3 s |
< 3 s |
| Get quote | Get quote |
Powering LANDMARK SPACE MISSIONS
Precise Attitude Control for Euclid powered by Astrix 200 Gyroscope
The Euclid space telescope's Attitude Control System (AOCS) relies on the high-precision Astrix 200 gyroscope to accurately estimate the space telescope inertial attitude evolution during its scientific operations. This combination ensures precise control and stability throughout the mission.
Astrix 200 for Pléiades: high resolution imaging satellites
The Pléiades satellites observe and take pictures of any part of Earth with a 50 cm resolution every day since December 2011. To reach this level of performances at that date, Pléiades satellites rely on a very sensitive optical detector and the Astrix 200 gyroscopes. Originally planned for a 5-year lifetime, the Astrix 200 on board Pléiades have been still working for more than 10 years.
Precise navigation and landing for ExoMars with Astrix 90-A
ExoMars mission is embarking an Astrix 90 for the navigation during the travel to Mars and to manage the very sensitive and difficult landing phase on Mars. Astrix 90 gyroscopes and accelerometers have been qualified for this very harsh environment and for the high speeds, accelerations and shocks of the landing phase.
The primary goal of the ExoMars mission is to address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars and it includes the Rosalind Franklin rover.
FAQ
FOGs contain no moving parts, providing exceptional reliability, low drift and long-term stability in harsh space environments.
Astrix refers to Exail's heritage of flight-proven space gyroscopes used on institutional missions. Astrix NS brings this proven technology to New Space through a more compact, industrialized design optimized for satellite constellations.
Astrix technology has supported missions including Euclid, Aeolus, Sentinel-2, Pléiades, ExoMars, Rosetta, Gaia and numerous GEO telecommunications satellites
Flight heritage demonstrates that a technology has successfully operated under real mission conditions, reducing risk for future programmes and increasing confidence throughout the mission lifecycle.
