The Inertial Measurement Unit Will Enable The Rover's Navigation On Mars

Thales Alenia Space in the U.K. has achieved the major milestone of delivering its IMU Flight Models to Airbus Defence and Space in U.K. for integration with the ExoMars Rover. Exomars is a project under international cooperation between ESA and Roscosmos (Russian Space Agency), Thales Alenia Space, Joint Venture between Thales and Leonardo is the prime contractor for the global program.

The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) designed by Thales Alenia Space in the U.K. has been delivered for integration in to the ExoMars Rover mission, scheduled to launch in July 2020 and arrive at Mars nine months later. The ExoMars Rover will be the first to drill 2 meters down the red planet’s surface, to look for traces of past or present life and retrieve samples. The IMU enables the Rover’s navigation during its mission, providing critical data on its orientation, speed and direction.

Designed, built and tested in Thales Alenia Space’s advanced facilities in Bristol, U.K., these next generation IMU’s utilise a new modular concept that provides 3 axis orientation, angular rate, velocity and acceleration measurement. The technology development incorporates very high performance Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMs) which have been qualified for spaceflight, the technology is also being advanced by Thales Alenia Space for use in satellite constellations and geostationary satellite communications.

"It is great to see innovative U.K. technology being delivered on time for ExoMars with U.K. industry working well together," said Sue Horne, Head of Space Exploration at the UK Space Agency. This realization will help position the U.K. for future work on navigation systems for other exploration and robotics missions.”

"Congratulations to the Thales Alenia Space U.K. team for achieving this important delivery for the rover," said Van Odedra, ExoMars Rover Project Manager for Airbus Defense and Space. "Please extend our thanks to all the team for their hard work and dedication to achieve this milestone.”

(Image provided with Thales Group news release)

FMI: www.thalesgroup.com