OSCPS Motion Sensing Inc., (OSCP), has unveiled the MK2Z-3, a photonic inertial measurement unit now in development. The new unit builds on the MK2Z, OSCP's prototype IMU with a photonic gyroscope on the Z axis. The new unit offers photonic gyroscopes on one, two or all three axes in the same enclosure, so integrators can match the sensor to the mission rather than redesign around it. The unit weighs under one kilogram and occupies less than one litre.
"A spacecraft or a lander has to keep track of its own attitude when there is nothing outside to check against," said Kazem Zandi, founder and chief executive of OSCP. "That is a gyroscope problem. With the MK2Z-3 we are taking the photonic gyro we built for one axis and giving it to all three, in a package a small mission can carry." Target applications include small satellites, launch vehicles, landers, re-entry capsules and planetary rovers, along with long-range, long-endurance platforms on Earth that must navigate without satellite positioning.
"Customers testing the MK2Z kept asking the same question: can we have that performance on the other two axes?" said Thibaut Gravey, vice-president, product. "The MK2Z-3 is our answer. It keeps the interfaces our customers already use, RS-422 or CAN-FD, so moving up from a single photonic axis does not mean starting the integration again."
The MK2Z-3 joins OSCP's MK2 family, which includes the MK2M2 MEMS IMU, the MK2E2 with a photonic gyroscope on the Z axis, and the MK2Z prototype. OSCP plans to ship MK2Z-3 samples in 2027. Specifications are design targets and may change during development.
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