RVS

Parking aid in space

Twelve years after its maiden flight on ESA‘s ATV-1 “Jules Verne“, our Rendezvous and Docking Sensor (RVS®) successfully completed its last mission.

JAXA’s H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) spacecraft, HTV-9 successful berthed to the International Space Station on May 25th, 2020.

RVS was used by the European Space Agency ESA and the Japanese Space Agency JAXA, as well as on the American “Cygnus” in order to support and control the automated docking of unmanned transfer vehicles with the International Space Station ISS. An RVS prototype has already been successfully demonstrated in orbit during two campaigns of the Space Shuttles STS-84 and STS-86 docking to the MIR space station in 1997.

The automated docking is proceeded with the help of the Rendezvous- und Docking-Sensors RVS TGM (telegoniometer) und RVS VDM (videometer). From a distance of around 1.500 meters the system RVS is able to measure the distance and approaching direction of the unmanned spacecraft to the International Space Station: RVS sends laser beams as short light pulses, refelcting mirrors in the RVS channel these light pulses to the ISS. This light is re-captured by the RVS. From the time difference between the first and the re-captured light pulse and the viewing direction of the reflector system it will then be calculated how far the two space vehicles are remoted to each other, which relative speed they have and in which angle they are resting to each other so that a pinpointed and secure docking of the supply vehicle can finally be allowed.

Future missions will not only be able to autonomous dock to so-called cooperative targets like the ISS, but also non-cooperative targets. The advanced technology will enable new mission scenarios and the next generation rendezvous sensors are already on their mission: RVS 3000 and RVS 3000-3D.

Exploring a new world: NASA’s Psyche mission spacecraft equipped with sensor technology from Jena

Jena-Optronik provides autonomous star sensors to Maxar for the attitude control system of the Psyche spacecraft.

read more

Heinrich Hertz mission launched with star sensors “Made in Jena” on board

Two of Jena-Optronik’s ASTRO APS star sensors enable the attitude and orbit control of the German geostationary communication satellite, which was developed and built by OHB System AG.

read more

All News-Articles

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer was our guest!

A very excited #teamspace met Matthias Maurer on November 27, 2023.

read more

Dr. Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, visited us

Jena-Optronik had the great honor of giving insight into the future of space to a special guest: Dr. Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, visited us on November 20, 2023!

read more

All Blog-Articles

Space photography

Apollo astronauts as photographers: stunning pictures of our blue marble, the moon and astronauts' lifes 

read more

Space: It’s all around us

Space inspires us all and creates a wealth of knowledge

read more

All Knowledgeplatform-Articles

Events

  • April 08-11, 2024
    Space Symposium, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
  • February 06-08, 2024
    SmallSat Symposium, Mountain View, CA, USA
  • February 01-07, 2024
    AAS GN&C Conference, Breckenridge, CO, USA