An ITAR-free star tracker for agile satellites.
The United States treats fast, accurate star trackers as defence articles. Ours is designed and built in Bengaluru, India, for the slew rates that rule covers.
Where US export control draws the line.
The US Munitions List, Category XV(e)(16), covers a space-qualified star tracker or star sensor with angular accuracy of 1 arcsecond (1-sigma) or better per star coordinate and a tracking rate of 3.0°/s or more, along with parts specially designed for it.
A US-made tracker on the far side of that line is a defence article under ITAR. Exporting it takes a State Department licence, and passing it on to a third country takes another authorisation. For a programme outside the US, that means added lead time and paperwork, and a supplier who may not be able to ship at all.
Built in India for the rates that rule covers.
Our star camera is designed to keep solving attitude while the spacecraft slews, above the roughly 3°/s where a conventional tracker loses the sky. It is designed and built in Bengaluru, so it is not a US defence article under ITAR.
Its measured accuracy and tracking rate will be published after Stratos-2 in October 2026. We publish a number once it has flown.
Simulation of a stylised frame at 14°/s. A single 100 ms exposure leaves 93 px trails and 3 stars above threshold; a 20 × 5 ms registered stack detects 11.
Read this with your compliance team.
- It means
- The product is not a US-origin defence article. The ITAR licensing and re-transfer rules for US star trackers do not apply to it.
- It does not mean
- Free of every export rule. Other regimes can apply depending on the item and where it goes, including India's own export controls and the US EAR for any US-origin parts.
- What we provide
- Ask us for the classification details your compliance team needs for your programme.
ITAR-free star tracker FAQ
Which star trackers are controlled under ITAR?
USML Category XV(e)(16) lists space-qualified star trackers or star sensors with 1 arcsecond (1-sigma) or better accuracy per star coordinate and a tracking rate of 3.0°/s or more, plus parts specially designed for them.
What does ITAR-free mean?
That the item is not a defence article on the US Munitions List. It says nothing about other export regimes, which your compliance team should still check.
Where is your star tracker made?
It is designed and built in Bengaluru, India.
Can we get one for a 2027 mission?
Engineering units can be reserved now for 2027.
Fly a pathfinder.
Reserve a star-camera engineering unit for 2027.