Assessment of large aperture lightweight imaging concepts

Abstract

High resolution imaging from space for surveillance and astrometry is currently limited by launch vehicle constraints and system cost. Current launch vehicles limit the total mass and volume that can be placed in orbit. The fundamental limitation on telescope resolution is aperture diameter. This paper investigates several innovative concepts (SiC primary, inflatable primary, and sparse optical arrays) to produce lightweight, lower cost telescopes that overcome the launch vehicle constraint issues. A trade space for future mission applications in both low earth orbit (LEO) and geosynchronous orbit (GEO) is defined and used as a metric to compare the performance of each concept. A rough order of magnitude (ROM) spacecraft design has been prepared to determine feasibility and to provide a relative comparison between concepts. The merits and drawbacks of each concept are discussed. Furthermore, the planning for a future integrated ground demonstration experiment at Phillips Laboratory is described.