Having successfully completed the contract negotiations with ESA, Lens R&D is sure to be able to continue with the development and qualification of the BiSon64-ET and BiSon64-ET-B
The foto presented provides an impression of the BiSon64-ET-B as it will be completed and qualified.
The underlying GSTP program is quite exciting as it also entails a full qualification according to ECSS standards as well as upgrading the quality control system at Lens R&D to be in line with ECSS standards.
The latter means that we will officially enter into the realm of high reliability component suppliers when this program is successfully finished as one of the (in not the) smallest high reliability component suppliers ever qualified by ESA.
Although this is a challenge still ahead of us, we at Lens R&D are sure we will succeed based on the compact but highly focussed and capable team, and the help from our well established supply chain and expert help provided by ESA staff.
As a cherry on the cake, it has been agreed to supply 20 flight and 2 flight spare units to the ESA PROBA-3 formation flying mission. http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Engineering_Technology/Proba_Missions/About_Proba-3
this program will therefore automatically lead to two ECSS qualified TRL9 products.
The BiSon64-ET and BiSon64-ET-B products will have a very wide qualification temperature range extending from -125°C to +125°C which will allow to mount them on extendable solar panels directly.
Furthermore the environmental envelop qualification will entail 40g sine, 39g random (at 1.5g2/Hz) and 3000g pyro shock, thus allowing to use the sensors on many missions without any further qualification testing.