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Amplified Piezo Actuators with embedded Eddy Current Sensor for cryo space De-SPIN mechanism

7 July 2026

Piezoelectric actuators are known as a compact and dynamic solution for space laser pointing applications. Yet, to avoid the use of an HDRM (Hold Down Release Mechanism), the usual maximum load force needs to be increased, which impacts directly on the stroke performances of the actuator. Additionally, the cryogenic environment has a significant impact on the piezoelectric components, mechanical part and integrated sensor performance, especially on strain gauges that present an advantage in compacity and precision but that cannot operate under low temperatures. The ESA funded the De-SPIN Project to address those challenges by designing and testing an actuator based on Amplified Piezoelectric Actuator (APA®) technologies that integrate new features to ensure the cryogenic compatibility, low magnetism and vibration resistance once integrated in a complete Fast Steering Mirror. This actuator can reach a 105μm stroke at -150°C with redundancy and can withstand an 18.04 g-RMS random vibration launch with a 0.125kg payload.
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improving dynamic accuracy of closed loop bandwidth of piezo mechanisms with advanced control laws and embedded eddy current position sensors

Improving dynamic accuracy of closed loop bandwidth of piezo mechanisms with advanced control laws and embedded eddy current position sensors

14 June 2024

Fast Steering Mirrors (FSM) play an important role in diverse optical applications for beam stabilization, image sharpening or dynamic beam steering. These applications require the FSM to have a precise response across a large frequency range, thus the need of a dynamic controller. But the controller is ultimately limited, among other factors, by the performance of the sensor: its ability to measure accurately the required physical value and with a sufficient bandwidth. The compact, dynamic and precise embedded Eddy Current Sensors (ECS) developed by Cedrat Technologies, combined with a model-based controller allow a two and a half times improvement on the bandwidth compared to current sensing technology, while being more precise overall.
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Nanometric positioning with piezo actuator and high stability strain gauges

19 June 2023

Many applications require long-term position stability, which relates to the notion of absolute precision over time. Until now, the long-term stability of strain gages (SG) for position measurement was questionable. Using its extensive know-how of strain gages integration and new instrumentation equipment, Cedrat Technologies has managed to demonstrate nanometric position stability of a closed-loop piezo-mechanism with integrated strain gages sensors. This technology opens a wide range of new possibilities for industrial, aeronautical, and space applications.
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ATLID BSA Beam steering assembly piezo tip tilt

19 June 2023

ATLID (ATmospheric LIDar) is one of the four instruments of EarthCARE satellite, it shall determine vertical profiles of cloud and aerosol physical parameters such as altitude, optical depth, backscatter ratio and depolarisation ratio. The BSA (Beam Steering Assembly), included in emission path, aims at deviating a pulsed high energy UV laser beam to compensate the pointing misalignment between the emission and reception paths of ATLID [1]. It requires a very high stability and high resolution.
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Qualification of Euclid near infrared spectro photometer cryomechanism – An application of CTEC ECS

19 June 2023

Already presented at 2015 ESMATS symposium [1], the CEA-Cryomechanism (CM) is a cryogenic rotating actuator that can operate from room temperature down to cryogenic environments, under vacuum or nitrogen atmosphere. In the framework of the Euclid-NISP space program, after having built two bread board model (BBM) units, CEA has undergone the integration of three qualification model (QM) units, among which one unit is going through a full qualification program (the two remaining units are intended to be qualified at upper system level).
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R&T CNES Capteur de proximite et detection de fin de course ECS

19 June 2023

Model a contactless proximity sensor that can be used at the same time as limit switch (in deployment mechanisms) or top tower.
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