Session
Weekday Session 8: Advanced Technologies I
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Precision optical payloads will soon experience a boom in manufacturing scale with the onset of proliferated satellite constellation concepts. Presently, the cost of assembly for a single unit can reach upwards of $500,000. Reduction in recurring engineering and assembly complexity can reduce this figure by up to two orders of magnitude. This paper discusses one potential solution which relies on consistent structural components that are easily manufactured in bulk quantities to facilitate general uses while also enabling high-precision mounting in designated payload slots. This proposed approach combines standardized struts and panels able to be connected and stacked in a variety of ways to form a modular structure from 1U subsections. For the subsections in need of higher precision, slots are milled and reamed from the same standard panel. Within these slots, card-like brackets are mounted to within 10 micrometer precision with the use of low-tolerance gauge spheres. A technique called “screw-pulling” secures these brackets such that the gauge spheres act as nearly single-point-of-contact datums. This approach allows payloads to be tested externally with minimal alignment shifts when re-integrated into the structure and is demonstrated with a 2.2 μm pixel size CMOS sensor and a 23 mm focal length lens.
A Novel Approach to Small Form-Factor Spacecraft Structures for Usage in Precision Optical Payloads
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Precision optical payloads will soon experience a boom in manufacturing scale with the onset of proliferated satellite constellation concepts. Presently, the cost of assembly for a single unit can reach upwards of $500,000. Reduction in recurring engineering and assembly complexity can reduce this figure by up to two orders of magnitude. This paper discusses one potential solution which relies on consistent structural components that are easily manufactured in bulk quantities to facilitate general uses while also enabling high-precision mounting in designated payload slots. This proposed approach combines standardized struts and panels able to be connected and stacked in a variety of ways to form a modular structure from 1U subsections. For the subsections in need of higher precision, slots are milled and reamed from the same standard panel. Within these slots, card-like brackets are mounted to within 10 micrometer precision with the use of low-tolerance gauge spheres. A technique called “screw-pulling” secures these brackets such that the gauge spheres act as nearly single-point-of-contact datums. This approach allows payloads to be tested externally with minimal alignment shifts when re-integrated into the structure and is demonstrated with a 2.2 μm pixel size CMOS sensor and a 23 mm focal length lens.
