EMS Technologies Inc. [ELMG] said its Caltrac Star Tracker system successfully provided critical navigation functions to the STS-101 mission crew during an experiment in orbital attitude readiness involving ISS.

The EMS system is scheduled to fly on one of NASA’s Discovery missions, Genesis, slated for launch next January. The two-year mission will involve sending a spacecraft to collect pieces of the Sun in hopes of helping scientists better understand the makeup of the solar system.

The Caltrac system has a wide field of view so it can provide attitude pointing for satellite or shuttle missions. It also features its own power supply and processor so it does not draw on the shuttle’s central processing system.

In ISS-related news, EMS also announced the initial delivery of a device that enables greater precision and control of robots in space.

The Force and Moment Sensor (FMS) will be installed on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator. “With this device, the new two-armed robot used onboard the ISS will have almost life-like dexterity, making it easier to grab onto and move such objects as station modules and repair parts or tools,” said Al Hansen, president and chief operating officer of EMS.

Equipment for both programs was supplied by EMS’s Space & Technology Group in Canada. EMS is headquartered in Norcross, Ga.