The SAGE III (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment-III) instrument, funded by NASA as part of the EOS (Earth Observing System) program, was successfully launched for installation on the International Space Station (ISS) on last February 19th, 2017. The instrument was launched on-board a SpaceX Falcon vehicle and DRAGON spacecraft from the NASA launch site of Cape Canaveral.
The SAGE III instrument, whose goal is to provide global, long-term measurements of key components of the Earth’s atmosphere, includes the Hexapod Pointing System (HPS) developed by ESA with a major contribution from OHB Italia.
The HPS has an essential role since it acts as the legs of the payload, which keep the instrument level in orbit. It includes the Hexapod Mechanical Assembly (HMA) and the Hexapod Electronics Unit (HEU). In this frame, OHB Italia was in charge of the design manufacturing and test of HMA and HEU.
