Radiation hardness of sensors for fine steering mirrors

They rapidly tilt, often on dual axes, to lock ultra-narrow laser beams for communication links from both satellite-to-satellite and ground-to-satellite. Due to the low divergence of laser beams, exact pointing solutions are required. Ultra-precision eddy-current sensors offer a solution. However, radiation hardness is key to their performance. In this Mikroniek article, the sensor system developed is tested for its radiation hardness as required for space (and defence) applications. (Image courtesy of IBS Precision Engineering)