Made by the UK's e2v Technologies, the “one-billion pixel” array is made up of 106 charge coupled devices (CCDs). Each of the rectangular CCD is a little smaller than a credit card in area, although thinner than a human hair in thickness. These CCDs have precisely joined together into a 0.5 x 1-meter (1.6 x 3.3-foot) seven-row flat mosaic. While 102 of the sensors are assigned to star detection, the other four will check the image quality and angle of the Gaia spacecraft's twin telescopes, used to obtain 3D stereoscopic images of the stars.
The array's support structure is built from ceramic-like silicon carbide, which is lightweight. The material resists deformation caused by temperature changes.
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