"ESA Develops Artificial Star for Groundbreaking Research"
The European Space Agency (ESA) has developed an artificial star-like light source to test the optical performance of startrackers, which are used by spacecraft to determine their position in space. The test bench, located at ESA's ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands, combines a rotating table with a single star simulator to simulate the light from a star. The purpose of this facility is to calibrate startrackers in terms of distortion, chromatic aberration, and other optical variables, aiding in spacecraft navigation.