Development of new ultra-large aperture optical remote sensing imaging technology

With the rapid development of earth observation by optical remote sensing satellites, there is an urgent requirement of remote sensing data with high-resolution in environmental monitoring, urban planning and other applications. The resolution of remote sensing images (RSIs) significantly depends on the aperture size of space imaging system. However, limited by manufacturing level and carrying capacity, the traditional optical materials and reflection/refraction imaging principle have encountered a bottleneck in the manufacturing of space imaging system with ultra-large aperture and lightweight. Consequently, it is necessary to develop brand new space optical imaging systems. In this paper, we summarize the imaging mechanism and development history of three ultra-large aperture imaging technologies, including synthetic aperture imaging technology, diffractive membrane imaging technology and rotating synthetic aperture imaging technology, and analyze the challenges existing in their application.