Axon' Cable: to infinity and beyond!

12 Ready for space exploration! The Gaia scientific satellite was released into orbit by a Soyouz launcher from Kourou on Thursday 19th December. This 100% European mission will allow us to establish an extremely precise map of part of our galaxy by surveying more than a billion stars. On board Gaia, two highly precise telescopes will measure distances, positions, coordinates, star brightness, and study extra-solar planets over a period of 5 years. For this high technology scientific mission, high data rate links designed and manufactured by Axon’ Cable will contribute to giving us this clearer vision of the cosmos. A technological first This is a first! Until now, telescopes with this extraordinary level of precision have never been sent to space to map the celestial sphere. Once again, products designed by Axon’ have been chosen for a high technology scientific mission. High date rate “SpaceWire” links manufactured by Axon’ Cable connect the high resolution image sensors of the telescopes to the image-processing devices. This is particularly challenging as the telescopes are highly precise: Gaia can measure the diameter of a human hair at a distance of 1000 km! With such a mission, cable assemblies supplied by Axon’ Cable are not allowed to make mistakes. These high data rate links able to transmit signals up to 400 Mb/s are made with cables designed to have excellent electrical characteristics and save space. They are terminated with miniature connectors designed by Axon’ Cable. After the biggest European communication satellite, this is the second time in 2013 that Axon’ SpaceWire links have been sent into space.

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