A collaborative test program has validated the performance and durability of Silicon Sensing‘s DMU41 tactical-grade Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) in radiation environments relevant to space applications.
The evaluation was conducted by Silicon Sensing in partnership with the Institute of Science, Tokyo, following the announcement of their research agreement in April 2024. The test results confirm that the DMU41 maintains strong performance even after exposure to cumulative radiation doses reaching 10 kRad, which exceeds the typical radiation levels encountered in small satellite missions operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Testing was performed on a significant sample of DMU41 IMUs at the Institute of Science Tokyo’s Wakasa Wan Energy Research Centre in Fukui City. The programme assessed both Single Event Effect (SEE), which verified the unit’s resilience to ionising particles, and Total Ionising Dose (TID), which evaluated long-term reliability under radiation exposure. All test conditions used dose and exposure levels that met or surpassed key industry standard thresholds, representing environments harsher than normal LEO operational conditions.
David Somerville, General Manager at Silicon Sensing, said, “This is an important partnership for us, and these are strong results for our IMU. In this fast-evolving sector performance, size, endurance, power consumption – and cost – are all crucial and these results validate the choice of DMU41 by a growing number of satellite manufacturers. We are confident our technology will significantly improve LEO operations.”
The DMU41 is a robust, 9 degrees of freedom, high performance IMU. It operates in temperatures ranging from -40°C to +85°C, delivering outstanding low noise performance, bias instability and angle random walk. Offering performance comparable to typical fibre-optic gyro IMUs, it comes in a far more compact package, measuring just 50.5×50.5x51mm, weighing under 180g and consuming less than 1.8W. The DMU41 is designed to streamline system integration and help satellite developers shorten their certification process.
