TY-Space Technology

TY-Space Technology (Beijing) Ltd. develops and produces star trackers in Beijing, China. A star tracker is an instrument that helps a spacecraft work out its position and direction from the stars. The company also makes star simulators and offers testing services.

The company's core technology comes from research at Tsinghua University over about two decades. It says more than 600 of its star trackers work well in orbit. Some of them serve national major tasks, such as China's lunar exploration projects and the Gaofen projects.

TY-Space has a production capacity of 500 sets per year. This lets it fit many kinds of spacecraft needs. It offers products it describes as professional, advanced and economical for customers in different fields.

The star tracker range includes the NST4S-A2, NST10-G1, NST20-G2 and NST20-G3, as well as the PST3S-P1, NST-10 and PST3-H1 models. The models differ in update rate and in how fast the spacecraft can turn while the tracker still works. The NST10-G1 updates at 20 Hz and handles 10 degrees per second. The NST20-G2 also updates at 20 Hz and handles 20 degrees per second.

The company also sells a dynamic star simulator. This instrument can show an all-sky star map. It is used for satellite hardware-in-the-loop tests and for checking star tracker function, performance, polarity and data stability. The user enters a quaternion and the simulator outputs the star map. It has been tested with a high dynamic star tracker, using a 60 Hz refresh rate and a 10 degree per second turn rate.

TY-Space offers performance testing, environmental testing, space target discovery and tracking, and remote sensing camera calibration in orbit. Its test work includes stargazing tests, dynamic accuracy tests on a high-precision turntable, stray light tests with a solar simulator, and installation matrix measurement. Its news reports that its PST3S-K4 star tracker works successfully on the Dalian-1 satellite. The company also lists patents and academic papers.

Services

• Star trackers
• Dynamic star simulator
• Performance testing
• Environmental testing
• Space target discovery and tracking
• Remote sensing camera calibration in orbit
• Stargazing test
• Dynamic accuracy test
• Stray light test
• Installation matrix measurement