Compact stabilized pointing system

The preferred field of application of the present invention concerns the technology for the stabilization of the orientation of a pointing platform in small satellites as, for example, the so-called nano-satellites. In fact, the use of nano-satellites for low-cost space applications, requires that they have performances suitable to support a large number of possible new applications, in particular it is required that they can ensure adequate telecommunications capacity even with scarce power resources. Therefore, the availability of very precise pointing systems is essential in order to make communications as efficient as possible. Moreover, it should be noted that the nano-satellite platforms are also very unstable, and therefore such pointing, when acquired, must be continuously stabilized. Finally, the pointing and stabilization mechanisms must be light and compact in order to meet other typical constraints (weight and size, precisely) of space applications, but which may also be present in other areas of application. The mechanism specified in the present invention provides an adjustable support platform constrained to the satellite platform (or in general to an unstable platform) in one of its points by means of a joint with two or three degrees of freedom. The orientation and the stabilization of such orientable platform are then controlled by other constraints which consist in extensible legs with a controllable length. The mechanism, as a whole, provides a satisfactory solution to the problem of the stabilized pointing and allows, at the same time, to significantly reduce the weight and the overall dimensions.