A new low-cost star sensor, developed by astronomers from Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) from off-the-shelf components and was recently put into space by Isro’s PSLV C-55 on 22 April 2023, has started functioning properly in its first test-launch.

Named ‘StarBerrySense’, the main function of the payload is to quickly and accurately calculate where a satellite is pointing in space as for any space mission, it is crucial to know the exact positioning of the satellite. The start sensor is capable of finding its pointing direction in space by identifying the stars in its field of view.

The astronomers from the Space Payloads Group at the IIA have announced that not only has StarBerrySense withstood the harsh conditions in space and is functioning as expected, the initial data shows that it is able to calculate the pointing direction.The StarBerrySense payload is being tested in space for the very first time...

Source : Times of India