Redwire’s Navigation Technology Enabling JAXA, NASA Mission to Explore Cosmic Mysteries

August 17, 2023
• Blog

Redwire’s Navigation Technology Enabling JAXA, NASA Mission to Explore Cosmic Mysteries

NASA/JAXA

Redwire sun sensor technology is continuing to advance our understanding of the universe onboard game-changing missions. The X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) will study cosmic extremes: the universe’s hottest regions, largest structures, and objects with the strongest gravity. With a Redwire sun sensor system onboard, the XRISM spacecraft will investigate the X-ray sky using high-resolution spectroscopy. XRISM is scheduled to launch from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center on Aug. 25, 2023.

Redwire’s Digital Sun Sensor (DSS) system will provide critical sun angle data for precise pointing of the spacecraft as it helps us discover and understand the role of X-ray sources in the universe. The DSS system provides two axes of sun angle data and a Sun Presence indicator. The system consists of one DSS head and a processing electronics unit and is integrated with the attitude control electronics on the XRISM spacecraft for solar based attitude determination. Redwire also supplied a stimulator head and controller for spacecraft integration and test.

XRISM is a collaboration between NASA and JAXA, with ESA participation. The mission will help humanity learn more about extremely hot gas within clusters of galaxies, near-light-speed particle jets powered by black holes in active galaxies, and other cosmic mysteries.

The X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) spacecraft as it appeared in May at Tsukuba Space Center, Japan. Credit: JAXA/NEC

Redwire’s Digital Sun Sensor has enabled a variety of missions and spacecraft, including NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), IRIS, Parker Solar Probe, MESSENGER to Mercury, Magellan to Venus, STEREO, the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, as well as multiple rover missions to Mars such as Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers A and B (Spirit & Opportunity), Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) and Mars 2020 (Perseverance). Redwire’s suite of sensors have also flown on New Horizons to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, Juno to Jupiter, NASA’s Artemis I mission, SOHO, and many other game-changing missions.

Learn more about how Redwire’s digital sun sensor technology onboard the groundbreaking Dragonfly mission here.