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Working collaboratively with research scientists,
optics engineers, and vendors in New Mexico,
including Contrast
Optical Design & Engineering, Inc., and
Air
Force Research Laboratories (AFRL)'s Space Vehicles
Directorate (RV), COSMIAC has undertaken
a concept study to investigate the possibility
of high-resolution earth imaging using small
CubeSat-class spacecraft. While many efforts
are underway at other institutions to create
small low-earth orbit imagers, COSMIAC has focused
on methods that would allow such systems to
approach diffraction-limited performance, and
to perform imaging at a resolution of 2-3 meters
at the earth's surface. Doing so requires combining
high quality optics with new advancements, and
has spawned research in several key areas:
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Diffraction-limited
optical design; |
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Novel and advanced
shuttering and processing techniques to
remove blur and smear from imagery; |
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Low power,
high performance, compact form factor
image processing; |
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High precision
pointing solutions using inertial navigation
and image processing; and |
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Continuous
power generation in excess of 20W continuous
from a CubeSat class form factor space
platform. |
Although COSMIAC currently has
no plans for a launch of a specific spacecraft,
the concepts will soon be flown on an airborne
test bed that will simulate many conditions
and imagery that would be expected from a very
low orbit using a tiny spacecraft.
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CubeSatCam Concept
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Potential Optical Design
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Airborne Test Bed
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