Syrlinks participates to the MICROSCOPE mission

The MICROSCOPE satellite, which aims to test the principle of equivalence, integrates Syrlinks equipment for satellite positioning and repatriation of data to the Earth

Syrlinks supplies the radio equipment of the MICROSCOPE satellite

Why test the principle of equivalence in space? MICROSCOPE has two essential advantages. First of all, it operates in a space environment that limits certain disturbances specific to the Earth's environment, such as seismic tremors, thus disturbing the measuring instruments. Then, a satellite in orbit falls permanently and infinitely around the Earth. MICROSCOPE was launched by a rocket at 28,000 kilometers an hour allowing it to turn without stopping. The feather and hammer dropping test of the bodies over a distance of one meter at human height is replicated with the MICROSCOPE mission over millions of kilometers accumulated.

Syrlinks is an expert in the design and manufacture of ultra-compact S-band GPS receivers and transceivers adapted to the space environment. Find our range of space products here.

On April 25, 2016 began the mission of the French MICROSCOPE satellite with the objective of testing the principle of equivalence of Albert Einstein. Pillar of the general theory, it states that all objects, whatever their nature, fall at the same speed. This mission was initiated by CNES (French National Center for Space Studies) in association with the Côte d’Azur Observatory and ZARM.

CNES has asked Syrlinks to equip the MICROSCOPE satellite with a GPS receiver capable of accuratly reproducing the operational orbit. The G-SPHERE-S receiver accurately provides the position, velocity and time (PVT) of the satellite. G-SPHERE-S is a GNSS receiver specially designed and optimized for the needs for small satellite platforms for which congestion, mass and power consumption are important parameters. It offers a high level of performance through the use of the latest generation components (COTS).

This GPS receiver has a reconfigurable architecture based on the use of an FPGA associated to a DSP. The orbit availability rate demonstrated on the MICROSCOPE mission is 99.95%.

The satellite is currently gravitating around the Earth at more than 700 kilometers of altitude with the G-SPHERE-S receiver on board, which has been functioning perfectly for over a year.

The MICROSCOPE satellite is also equipped with two of Syrlinks EWC15 S-band telemetry and telecontrol transceivers. These transceivers provide control of the satellite and repatriate the data to the ground-based stations.

In December 2017, the MICROSCOPE satellite delivered its first results, confirming the principle of equivalence of Albert Einstein with unprecedented accuracy. The MICROSCOPE mission will be over at the end of 2018, when the final results on the universality of the freefall will be revealed.