WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Northrop Grumman Corporation’s hemispherical resonator gyro (HRG) has reached 50 million operating hours in space without a single mission failure. Aboard more than 200 spacecraft, the company’s HRG technology has contributed to the success of spacecraft and satellites orbiting Earth, and on interplanetary and deep space missions, for almost 25 years.
The HRG is a key element in Northrop Grumman’s Scalable Space Inertial Reference Unit (SSIRU), a navigation system providing pointing/stabilization and attitude control. Due to its quartz construction, the HRG is radiation hardened and impervious to aging effects—making it ideal for long missions lasting more than 15 years. Its small size also means it can be featured in multiple spacecraft designs.
Building on the HRG’s years of performance, Northrop Grumman is currently developing the milli-Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope (mHRG) to be featured in the new LR-450 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The LR-450 will still provide the trusted HRG technology, though it is designed for smaller platforms requiring a lower weight, lower cost solution.
