Silicon Sensing to produce PinPoint gyros for Martian moons exploration

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Silicon Sensing’s miniature CRM200 PinPoint gyro. | Source: Silicon Sensing Systems

Robotic missions to Earth’s moon are challenging enough, but motion control on the moons of Mars requires precision technology. Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd. has been contracted by the German Aerospace Centre to supply two miniature PinPoint gyros for use in the Martian Moons eXploration mission. The mission aims to send rovers to survey Deimos and Phobos.

The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) will use the company’s CRM200 gyros in the vehicle that will explore the larger of these moons, Phobos. There, this rover will collect surface samples. The set of PinPoint gyros will help detect unintended movement of the rover on the unknown surface.

Depending on the initial checkout of the drivetrain that includes the gyros, the team will activate an optional safety module in the software. This module will automatically prevent instability during drive sessions of the rover.

“PinPoint has a proven track record in space applications, but this will be a landmark use on a remarkable mission where this gyro’s reliability and endurance will be critical,” stated David Sommerville, the general manager of Silicon Sensing Systems.

Founded in 1999, Silicon Sensing Systems engineers gyroscope and inertial systems. Jointly owned by Collins Aerospace and Sumitomo Precision Products, the company develops silicon, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based navigation and stabilization technology.

Silicon Sensing said it has supplied millions of MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers to thousands of customers.

Silicon Sensing designs compact, robust gyros

Just the size of a fingernail, at approximately 5mm x 6mm (0.1 x 0.2 in.), PinPoint is the smallest gyro in Silicon Sensing’s MEMS product range. The company said it is a proven, low drift, single-axis, angular-rate sensor with many applications across diverse market sectors.

In combination, these robust sensors can precisely measure angular rate across multiple axes. This includes any combination of pitch, yaw, and roll – all while consuming very little power, according to Silicon Sensing.

As part of the rigorous selection process for this exploration program, PinPoint completed total ionizing dose (TID) testing at 17kRad radiation and proton tests (up to 68 MeV/proton). This testing demonstrated the gyro’s suitability for space requirements.

“We are also seeing increasing space-sector application for our latest tactical grade IMU (inertial measurement unit) — the DMU41 — which has recently been selected for a number of low-Earth orbit programs,” said Somerville. “This growing interest in our MEMS-based inertial sensors and systems reflects the potential of this technology, with its rugged reliability, compact size, and low power consumption, for the sector.”

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Mission gets ready for Martian moons

JAXA, the Japanese space agency, is leading the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. It will explore the two moons of Mars with contributions from NASA, ESA, CNES, and DLR. CNES, the French national space agency, and the DLR are jointly contributing a 25-kg (55.1 lb.) rover.

Approximately one year after leaving Earth, the spacecraft will arrive in Martian space and enter into an orbit around the planet. It will then move into a quasi-satellite orbit (QSO) around Phobos to collect scientific data, drop the rover, and gather a sample of the moon’s surface.

After observation and sample collection, the spacecraft will return to Earth carrying the material gathered from Phobos.

The current schedule has a launch date in 2026, followed by a Martian orbit insertion in 2027. The team said it hopes the probe will return to Earth in 2031.