SpaceNaute®: HRG technological breakthrough for advanced space launcher inertial reference system

Space launchers are demanding robust and highly accurate INS to stage or inject satellites precisely into orbit, especially when the goal is the supersynchronous elliptical geostationary transfer orbit. As European leader of inertial navigation, Safran Electronics & Defense masters all inertial technologies (Ring Laser Gyro, Fiber Optic Gyro and Hemispherical Resonator Gyro). In the frame of the preparation of the Ariane 6 development, a trade-off analysis to offer the most advanced Space Launcher INS lead to the SpaceNaute® inertial reference based on the HRG technology. After a deep selection process conducted by ArianeGroup under European Space Agency (ESA) supervision, SpaceNaute® was selected against RLG and FOG based solutions proposed by the competitors. This paper describes the unique SWaP (Size, Weight and Power) breakthrough of SpaceNaute®, unveils key performance characteristics of the selected inertial sensors for SpaceNaute® and how HRG benefits are capitalized into the product.