Woodland Hills, California. 15 August 2019. Northrop Grumman built HRG ( hemispherical resonator gyro ) has achieved 50 million operating hours in space without a single failure, the event registered a significant milestone in the company’s expertise in space technology, Northrop’ HRG is a sensor known for its reliability government, commercial and civil space missions. The technology is used in over 200 space vehicles and satellites which has played a key role in the success of spacecraft and satellites orbiting Earth, and on interplanetary and deep space missions, for nearly 25 years. Company’s HRG provides reliable inertial technology on the Space-Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite.
“This operational achievement is a testament to the unmatched performance of Northrop Grumman’s HRG technology for strategic and deep space applications. The SSIRU featuring the HRG not only has proven its reliability over countless missions, but also provides customers a substantial size, weight and power advantage for critical missions requiring pointing accuracy and platform stability,” commented Brandon White, Vice-President, Navigation and Positioning Systems at Northrop Grumman.
Northrop Grumman’s Scalable Space Inertial Reference Unit (SSIRU™) features HRG as a key element which is a navigation system providing pointing/stabilization and attitude control. Northrop is now working on the milli-Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope (mHRG) to be featured in the new LR-450 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The LR-450 is invented for smaller platforms requiring a lower weight, lower cost solutions, although it will deliver the reliable HRG technology.
