Session
Frank J. Redd Student Competition
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
The Deformable Mirror Demonstration Mission (DeMi) CubeSat operated from July 2020 to March 2022 and demonstrated the successful operation of a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Deformable Mirror (DM) on orbit for the first time. The payload design is an adaptive optics system with a 140-actuator MEMS DM from the Boston Micromachines Corporation (BMC) and a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWFS). DMs can correct wavefront errors from a variety of sources to improve image quality. MEMS DMs are particularly well suited for space systems because they are compact low power devices and have a high density of actuators with a large stroke to provide high precision wavefront control. This paper discusses on-orbit measurements characterizing the MEMS DM through analysis of deflections of individual actuators on the DM over time as they responded to input voltages up to 150 V, as measured by the on-board SHWFS. Repeatability is characterized by the differences between on-orbit actuator displacements commanded to the same voltages, which are shown to have a median of 2-13 nm. On-orbit DM actuation is shown to be similar to ground testing performance. The DeMi mission results have raised the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of MEMS DM technology from a 5 to a 9.
On-Orbit Characterization of a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Deformable Mirror (DM) on the Deformable Mirror Demonstration Mission (DeMi) CubeSat
Utah State University, Logan, UT
The Deformable Mirror Demonstration Mission (DeMi) CubeSat operated from July 2020 to March 2022 and demonstrated the successful operation of a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Deformable Mirror (DM) on orbit for the first time. The payload design is an adaptive optics system with a 140-actuator MEMS DM from the Boston Micromachines Corporation (BMC) and a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWFS). DMs can correct wavefront errors from a variety of sources to improve image quality. MEMS DMs are particularly well suited for space systems because they are compact low power devices and have a high density of actuators with a large stroke to provide high precision wavefront control. This paper discusses on-orbit measurements characterizing the MEMS DM through analysis of deflections of individual actuators on the DM over time as they responded to input voltages up to 150 V, as measured by the on-board SHWFS. Repeatability is characterized by the differences between on-orbit actuator displacements commanded to the same voltages, which are shown to have a median of 2-13 nm. On-orbit DM actuation is shown to be similar to ground testing performance. The DeMi mission results have raised the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of MEMS DM technology from a 5 to a 9.
