Inertial Reference Unit
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An Inertial Reference Unit (IRU) is a type of inertial sensor which uses only gyroscopes to determine a moving aircraft’s or spacecraft’s change in angular direction (referred to as "delta-theta" or Δθ) over a period of time. Unlike the Inertial Measurement Unit, IRUs are generally not equipped with accelerometers, which measure acceleration forces.
IRUs are used for attitude control and navigation of vehicles with relatively constant acceleration rates, such as geosynchronous satellites and deep space probes.
