The research with Institute of Science, Tokyo, reveals DMU41 is well suited to LEO missions
After announcing a research partnership in April of 2024, Silicon Sensing and the Institute of Science, Tokyo, have now completed a test program evaluating the performance and durability of the DMU41 tactical-grade inertial measurement unit (IMU) in radiation environments similar to those found in space.
The results show that the DMU41 continues to perform well even when exposed to cumulative radiation doses as high as 10 kRad, which exceeds the usual radiation levels encountered during small satellite missions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Testing of a large sample of DMU41 IMUs took place at the Institute of Science Tokyo’s Wakasa Wan Energy Research Centre in Fukui City. The program evaluated Single Event Effect (SEE) and Total Ionizing Dose (TID) on DMU41 units. SEE verified resilience to ionizing particles, while TID assessed long-term reliability under radiation.
All testing used dose and exposure levels at or above key industry standard thresholds—much harsher than normal operational conditions at LEO.
The DMU41 is a robust, 9 degrees of freedom, high performance IMU. It operates in temperatures ranging from -40oC to +85oC, delivering outstanding low noise performance, bias instability and angle random walk.
Offering performance comparable to typical fiber-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.
David Somerville, General Manager, 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.”