At 3:22am, Dec. 22, 2016, China’s first scientific experiment satellite for global carbon dioxide monitoring (TANSAT for short) was successfully launched.

TANSAT needs to realize global observation through satellite platform’s flexible observation mode. To carry out precision measurement of absorption spectrum of the carbon dioxide over land and sea surface around the world, carbon dioxide probe should work together with satellite platform and rely on principal plane nadir and solar flare as two major observation modes. In order to guarantee on-orbit spectrum data acquisition precision, the load needs to be on-orbit solar and lunar calibration, which also needs satellite platform to frequently adjust attitude, like dancing trippingly.

The optical fiber gyroscope developed by XIOPM Optical Fiber Inertia Surveying and Sensing Center independently, as an angular velocity sensitive element in the sub-system for TANSAT attitude control, is responsible for on-orbit, real-time and precise survey of satellite triaxial attitude and angular velocity under 5 observation modes and more than 10 direction modes, and for providing satellite platform with precision data to adjust observation attitude, to make it able to realize frequent big-angle attitude maneuver in the space and as a soul dancer above the earth. 

Following successful completion of China’s space environment vertical exploration on April 27, 2016, XIOPM-developed optical fiber gyroscope will make new contributions to China’s space scientific experiment with TANSAT together.