Develops and manufactures star sensors, rendezvous and docking sensors as well as space cameras at the Jena site.
Jena-Optronik GmbH
07745 JenaNew on Amplifa
About Jena-Optronik
Jena-Optronik GmbH from Jena is a space industry company with around 250 employees and a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space. The company develops, manufactures and tests opto-electronic sensors: star sensors of the ASTRO family (ASTRO APS, ASTRO APS3, ASTRO CL, ASTRO XP), rendezvous and docking sensors (RVS, RVS 3000, µRVS, LiDAR), cameras and camera systems (ASTROtir, ASTROhead Cam, ASTRO XP Cam, SSA Sensor Suite, ASTROlas, MUATS) as well as Ground Support Equipment such as the star stimulators OSI and OSPS and the Unit Tester. The products orient satellites, probes and spacecraft in LEO, MEO, HEO and GEO orbits and are used, among other things, for Artemis/Orion, Copernicus, MEV missions and ISS resupply. Production takes place in Jena on 2.000 m² of cleanroom space; the ASTRO CL is produced at a capacity of twelve sensors per week. Customers are space agencies and satellite system companies in Europe, Japan, the USA and Canada, including NASA, ESA, JAXA, Boeing, Maxar, Airbus Defence and Space, OHB and Northrop Grumman.
- Site
- Jena
- Processes
- Development, manufacturing and testing of star sensors (ASTRO APS, ASTRO APS3, ASTRO CL, ASTRO XP), Manufacturing of opto-electronic sensors, space optics & electronics, Cleanroom manufacturing, Development and manufacturing of rendezvous/docking sensors (RVS, RVS 3000, µRVS, LiDAR), Development and manufacturing of cameras and camera systems (ASTROtir, ASTROhead Cam, ASTRO XP Cam,, Manufacturing and testing of Ground Support Equipment (star stimulators OSI, OSPS, Unit Tester) for, Ground Support Equipment / test laboratories (OSI, OSPS, Unit Tester), Adjustment and alignment of star sensors
- Materials
- Radiation-hardened CMOS detectors (System-on-Chip), InGaAs detectors, Microbolometer detectors, Catoptric optics made of low-expansion material
- Certificates
- DIN EN 9100:2018, EN 9100 (DIN EN 9100:2018)
- Founded
- 1991/1992
- Employees
- approx. 250
- Industries
- Space / New Space, Earth observation / Copernicus, Telecommunications & navigation (satellites), exploratory/astronautical spaceflight (Moon, Mars), Space debris removal / in-orbit logistics, Satellite protection / Space Situational Awareness
- 01
Development and design
- 02
Cleanroom manufacturing
- 03
Adjustment and alignment
- 04
Testing (incl. OSI, OSPS, Unit Tester)
- 05
Ground Support Equipment and test laboratories
Processes & Technologies
Radiation-hardened CMOS detectors (System-on-Chip)
Basis of the ASTRO star sensors for high radiation hardness and low power consumption.
InGaAs detectors
Used in ASTROlas and MUATS for laser detection and optical communication.
Microbolometer detectors
Detector technology of the thermal imaging camera ASTROtir without active cooling.
Catoptric optics made of low-expansion material
Mirror optics free of chromatic aberrations with high thermal stability.
Sites
Jena
DEHeadquarters: development, manufacturing, production
- Part weight / size
- historical: up to 150 kg (MIRKA), Ø 1 m
- Lot size
- ASTRO CL: 12 sensors/week
- Materials
- Radiation-hardened CMOS, InGaAs, microbolometer
- 2.000 m² cleanroom space
- Optical Sky Stimulator (OSI)
- Optical Star Pattern Stimulator (OSPS)
- ASTRO APS Unit Tester (19-inch rack)
Components & Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development, manufacturing and testing of star sensors (ASTRO APS, ASTRO APS3, ASTRO CL, ASTRO XP)Engineering | – | 1 m (historical product MIRKA, | 150 kg (historical product MIRKA) | 12 sensors per week (ASTRO CL, | – |
| Manufacturing of opto-electronic sensors, space optics & electronicsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cleanroom manufacturingAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Development and manufacturing of rendezvous/docking sensors (RVS, RVS 3000, µRVS, LiDAR)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Development and manufacturing of cameras and camera systems (ASTROtir, ASTROhead Cam, ASTRO XP Cam,Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing and testing of Ground Support Equipment (star stimulators OSI, OSPS, Unit Tester) forTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleanroom production area | – | 1 | 2.000 m² cleanroom space | – | Jena |
| Optical Sky Stimulator (OSI, test equipment for star sensors) | Jena-Optronik OSI / OSI-TV | – | – | – | Jena |
| Optical Star Pattern Stimulator (optical test system for star sensors) | Jena-Optronik OSPS / OSPS-TV | – | – | – | Jena |
| Unit Tester (AOCS test system with power supply and industrial PC in a 19-inch rack) | Jena-Optronik ASTRO APS Unit Tester | – | – | – | Jena |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Jena-Optronik GmbH is certified to DIN EN 9100:2018. Production and testing take place at the Jena site, among other things on 2.000 m² of cleanroom space with in-house test equipment (OSI, OSPS, Unit Tester).
| Evidence | Jena |
|---|---|
| EN 9100 (DIN EN 9100:2018) |
History
- 1970er
Origins at VEB Carl Zeiss Jena; first space developments (multispectral camera MKF-6), first star sensors in the early 1980s.
- 1991/1992
Founding of Jena-Optronik GmbH by Deutsche Aerospace (today Airbus Defence and Space) and Jenoptik; commercially active from April 1992.
- 1996
Installation of the Earth remote sensing instrument MOMS-2P on the MIR space station.
- 1997
Maiden flight of the micro return capsule MIRKA led by Jena-Optronik; RVS prototype used during the Shuttle-MIR docking (STS-84/86).
- 1999
First contracts for ASTRO 15 star sensors with customers from Japan and the USA; maiden flight 2003.
- 2000
Launch of the scientific small satellite mission CHAMP.
- 2001
Launch of the ESA science mission INTEGRAL with the Jena-Optronik anticoincidence system (ACS).
- 2005
Jena-Optronik becomes a 100% subsidiary of JENOPTIK AG.
- 2006
Boeing Supplier of the Year (for ASTRO 15).
- 2007
EADS Astrium Master Supplier 2007.
- 2008
First ATV 'Jules Verne' docks with the ISS using Jena-Optronik RVS sensors (RVS TGM/VDM).
- 2010
Sale to the EADS subsidiary Astrium (predecessor of Airbus Defence and Space).
- 2013
Maiden flight of the ASTRO APS on board Alphasat.
- 2015
Inauguration of the new company building (Jena21).
- 2016-2020
Multiple Maxar Supplier Excellence Awards.
- 2019/2020
ASTROhead Cam on board the Northrop Grumman Mission Extension Vehicles MEV-1 and MEV-2.
- 2020
Thuringian Innovation Award for the ASTRO XP; introduction of the ASTRO CL.
- 2022
Artemis-1/Orion mission with ASTRO APS star sensors; Test Readiness Review (TRR) certified for the ASTRO XP.
- 2025
NASA recognition for the contribution to Artemis I (September 2025).