Effects of gamma radiation on the performance of star sensors for star map recognition

Star sensors are widely used in various satellites owing to their high accuracy, reliability, and autonomy. Gamma radiation can affect the performance of star sensors. Noise from CMOS Image Sensors can change the grayscale distribution of stars, which can lead to unsuccessful star map recognition. This paper presents an analysis of the degeneration mechanism of the averaged error of the star diagonal distance and the image gray mean of the detector image versus the total ionizing dose (TID) and integral time by analyzing the star map of the Orion Nebula. By establishing the correlation between space radiation and the parameters of the star map, the transfer mechanism of star sensor parameter degradation to the performance of the star sensor for star map recognition can be understood. The results of this study lay a foundation for the research in error measurement technology for star sensor attitude and have also provided a method to evaluate the influence of irradiation damage of image sensors. •Effect of gamma radiation on performance of star sensors is studied.•Correlation between space radiation and parameters of the star map is established.•Results promote research in error measurement technology for star sensor attitude.•Method to evaluate influence of irradiation damage of image sensors is provided.