Open Access Paper
20 November 2017 Applications of FBG sensors on telecom satellites
S. Abad, F. M. Araújo, L. A. Ferreira, F. Pedersen, M. A. Esteban, I. McKenzie, N. Karafolas
Author Affiliations +
Proceedings Volume 10565, International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2010; 1056517 (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2309229
Event: International Conference on Space Optics—ICSO 2010, 2010, Rhodes Island, Greece
Abstract
Monitoring needs of spacecraft are rapidly increasing due to new and more challenging missions, along with demands to reduce launching costs by minimizing the manufacture, assembly, integration and test time and employing new low weight materials balanced by the need for maximizing system lifetime while maintaining good reliability. Conventional electronic sensors are characterized by their low multiplexing capability and their EMI/RF susceptibility and it is in this scenario that Fiber Optic Sensors (FOS) in general, and more specifically Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technology offers important benefits, improving in various ways the already deployed sensing subsystems (e.g. reducing the weight associated with sensor cabling, increasing the number of sensing points) and enabling new monitoring applications that were not possible by using conventional sensing technologies.

This work presents the activities performed and the lessons learnt in the frame of ESA’s ARTES-5 project “Fiber Optic Sensing Subsystem for Spacecraft Health Monitoring in Telecommunication Satellites”. This project finished in July 2009, with the implementation and testing of two different demonstrators employing FBG sensor technology: FBG sensors for temperature monitoring in high voltage environments, and in particular in several parts of electric propulsion subsystems [1], and FBG sensors for thermal monitoring of array-antennas during RF testing [2].

In addition, the contacts performed with different actors within the space community allowed the identification of a special area of interest for the substitution of regular thermocouple instrumentation by FBG technology for thermal vacuum ground testing of satellites.
© (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
S. Abad, F. M. Araújo, L. A. Ferreira, F. Pedersen, M. A. Esteban, I. McKenzie, and N. Karafolas "Applications of FBG sensors on telecom satellites", Proc. SPIE 10565, International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2010, 1056517 (20 November 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2309229
Advertisement
Advertisement
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission  Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace
KEYWORDS
Sensors

Fiber Bragg gratings

Antennas

Temperature metrology

Satellites

Ions

Multiplexing

Back to Top