Sparse Apertures for Next Generation Optical Space Telescopes

Technology Roadmap Sections and Deliverables

This technology roadmap is identified as follows:

• 1SASOT - Sparse Aperture Space Optical Telescope

This a Level 1 roadmap that evaluates the system architecture required to achieve large effective aperture space optical telescopes using sparse aperture techniques. A Level 2 roadmap would describe the technological progress required to achieve a particular sparse aperture technique (deployable, formation flying, or erecting on-orbit). A Level 3 or 4 roadmap would describe individual enabling technologies such as on orbit alignment metrology, and precision formation flying).

Roadmap Overview

The angular resolution of a telescope is proportional to the size of the aperture. The mass and thus cost of space telescopes increases exponentially with aperture diameter. There is a need for systems that can produce the equivalent of a large aperture with low mass. This can be achieved by creating a synthetic aperture using multiple sub-apertures. One method to achieve this is to create a large number of small spacecraft, flying in a formation that creates the synthetic aperture.

DSM Allocation

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Roadmap OPM Model

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