Testing Satellite Navigation Systems with an 'Artificial Star' (Photo)
The European Space Agency's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) uses an artificial star in their testing facility to simulate the color and brightness of a given star. Star trackers, which are commonly used by satellites and spacecraft to determine their position, rely on capturing the sky with a camera and referencing it against a catalogue of known stars. The star simulators, like the one at ESTEC, are crucial for testing these star trackers before they are launched into space.