Applications of MEMS devices in nanosatellite

Abstract

MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical System) device has the advantages of both electronic system and mechanical system. With the development of MEMS devices for satellite, it is possible to establish much lighter and smaller nanosatellites with higher performance and longer lifecycle. The power cost of MEMS device is usually much lower than traditional devices, which will greatly reduce the consumption of power. For its small size and simple architecture, MEMS devices can be easily integrated together and achieve redundancy. Launched on 18 April, 2004, NS-1 is a nanosatellite for science exploration and MEMS devices test. A mass of science data and images were acquired during its running. NS-1 weights less than 25 Kg. It consists of several MEMS devices, including one MIMU, three micro CMOS cameras, one sun sensor, three momentum wheels and one micro magnetic sensor. By applying micro components based on MEMS technology, NS-1 made success in the experiments of integrative design, manufacture, and MEMS devices integration. In this paper, some MEMS devices for nanosatellite and picosatellite are introduced, which have been tested on the NS-1 nanosatellite or on ground.