An asteroid characterization and imaging system comprising at least one light collecting aperture positioned to collect intensity time history data and a data analysis unit configured to detect an occultation event and process said intensity time history data. Embodiments according to the present invention include a method of detecting, characterizing and imaging a near-Earth object comprising collecting intensity time history data by at least one light collecting aperture positioned to observe a star, detecting a stellar occultation event, recording said intensity time history data, processing said intensity time history data, predicting at least one of a set of object characteristics, and imaging said near-Earth celestial object.

A satellite system includes a satellite in an orbit that is configured to reduce a number of exclusion regions and improve the observation coverage of resident space objects (RSOs) positioned in near Earth orbits. The satellite system includes at least one satellite positioned in a sun synchronous orbit (SSO) with a noon/midnight nodal crossing. The altitude of the SSO is between 1000 and 2000 kilometers and the satellite includes at least one sensor arranged on the satellite that is configured for detection, tracking, and/or identification. Using the noon/midnight nodal crossing is advantageous in that three main exclusion regions, the sun, eclipse, and Earth exclusion regions, are combined into only two exclusion regions for improved performance of the satellite system in observing RSOs.

Systems and methods for obtaining images of a lunar surface and cislunar space using a hybrid telescope are provided. One hybrid telescope is carried by each of two spacecraft. Each spacecraft is in an elliptical orbit about the Moon. The periapsides of the spacecraft orbits are 180° apart from one another. In addition, the spacecraft can be phased 180° apart from one another to enable an offset in access times of each telescope to the cislunar and surface domains respectively. The image sensors associated with the telescopes can include a staring mode for collecting images from cislunar space, and a scanning mode for collecting images from the lunar surface.

A satellite attitude data fusion system and method is disclosed, applicable to the earth satellite environment to estimate attitude data of the satellite. When the satellite attitude data fusion system of the present invention is used to perform the satellite attitude data fusion method, the first step is to perform a body rates quaternion attitude data processing operation. Then, the next step is to perform an attitude/rates data fusion processing operation, wherein an attitude data fusion algorithm module receives the first IAE result data from the first EKF, and the second JAE result data from the second EKF, and performs an attitude/rates data fusion algorithm in a subsystem level to evaluate an attitude estimation JAE performance.

A satellite attitude data fusion system and method is disclosed, applicable to the earth satellite environment to estimate attitude data of the satellite. When the satellite attitude data fusion system of the present invention is used to perform the satellite attitude data fusion method, the first step is to perform a body rates quaternion attitude data processing operation. Then, the next step is to perform an attitude/rates data fusion processing operation, wherein an attitude data fusion algorithm module receives the first IAE result data from the first EKF, and the second JAE result data from the second EKF, and performs an attitude/rates data fusion algorithm in a subsystem level to evaluate an attitude estimation JAE performance.

A mirror support mechanism includes three first supporting members and three second supporting members. Each first supporting member includes a mirror supporting portion that is in contact with and support a corresponding one of three supported surfaces provided on the supported portion with rotational symmetry of 120 degrees around an optical axis, and two first beam portions connected to both sides of the mirror supporting portion. Each second supporting member includes a supporting portion to which ends of two first beam portions adjacent to each other are connected, the ends being not connected to the mirror supporting portion, and two second beam portions connected to both sides of the supporting portion, an end of the second beam portion not connected to the supporting portion being supported by a structure member provided on the rear side of the reflecting mirror.

An all-reflective coronagraph optical system for continuously imaging a wide field of view. The optical system can comprise a fore-optics assembly comprising a plurality of mirrors that reflect light rays, about a wide field of view centered around the Sun, to an aft-optics assembly that reflects the light rays to an image sensor. A fold mirror, having an aperture, is optically supported between the fore-optics assembly and the aft-optics assembly. The aperture defines an angular subtense (e.g., 1.0 degree) sized larger than the angular subtense of the Sun. The aperture facilitates passage of a direct solar image and a solar thermal load. A thermal control subsystem comprises a shroud radiatively coupled to each fore-optics mirror and the fold mirror. A cold radiator is thermally coupled to each shroud. Heaters adjacent fore optics mirrors and the fold mirror control temperature to provide a steady state optical system to minimize wavefront error.

An all-reflective coronagraph optical system for continuously imaging a wide field of view. The optical system can comprise a fore-optics assembly comprising a plurality of mirrors that reflect light rays, about a wide field of view centered around the Sun, to an aft-optics assembly that reflects the light rays to an image sensor. A fold mirror, having an aperture, is optically supported between the fore-optics assembly and the aft-optics assembly. The aperture defines an angular subtense (e.g., 1.0 degree) sized larger than the angular subtense of the Sun. The aperture facilitates passage of a direct solar image and a solar thermal load. A thermal control subsystem comprises a shroud radiatively coupled to each fore-optics mirror and the fold mirror. A cold radiator is thermally coupled to each shroud. Heaters adjacent fore optics mirrors and the fold mirror control temperature to provide a steady state optical system to minimize wavefront error.

Disclosed is a made-in-space telescope (52a) comprising primary mirror made by spinning liquid precursor in two orthogonal axes to form a paraboloid surface and subsequently allowing or causing it to solidify. Several mirror material variants are disclosed. Depending on mirror material used, it can be subsequently coated with reflecting coating.

Extended/deployed (120a) or formed (130) boom assists in controlling the spin of the telescope for mirror forming.

Several telescope embodiments based on the boom design are disclosed.

Boom variants include 3-D printed/extruded (130), corrugated (120), telescopic (190a), coiled (192a), folded (193c), taut cable (195a), stiffened cable ((197), and compound boom made with anisotropically pliable elements (198).

Several system elements such as primary mirror support (42a), supporting struts (160) and (162), and several boom variants (120), (140), (192a) are made with shape memory materials and deploy from their stowed configurations upon being heated.

Heat pipe based implementations are additionally disclosed for heat-activated shape memory system elements.

An exemplary starshade comprises a tensegrity truss structure having a central hub with radially extending, telescoping booms. Telescoping tension struts connected to the central hub and booms provide a compressive force on the booms during final truss deployment. Opaque petals, not supported by the tensegrity truss structure prior to its final deployment, are each sequentially placed on and attached to the tensegrity truss structure in side by side position to form a concentric ring of petals spaced apart from the central hub. A fan fold covering, not supported by the tensegrity truss structure prior to its final deployment, is placed on and attached to the tensegrity truss structure to form an opaque, concentric inner ring about the central hub. An outer edge of the inner ring is adjacent an interior edge of the concentric ring of petals to block light from the petals to the central hub.