This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 9602, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction (if any), and Conference Committee listing.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the scientific successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It is a cryogenic infrared space observatory with a 25 m² aperture (6 m class) telescope that will achieve diffraction limited angular resolution at a wavelength of 2 um. The science instrument payload includes four passively cooled near-infrared instruments providing broad- and narrow-band imagery, coronography, as well as multi-object and integral-field spectroscopy over the 0.6 < λ < 5.0 um spectrum. An actively cooled mid-infrared instrument provides broad-band imagery, coronography, and integral-field spectroscopy over the 5.0 < λ < 29 um spectrum. The JWST is being developed by NASA, in partnership with the European and Canadian Space Agencies, as a general user facility with science observations proposed by the international astronomical community in a manner similar to the Hubble Space Telescope. Technology development and mission design are complete. The science instrument payload is in the final stage of testing ahead of delivery for integration with the telescope during eairly 2016. The JWST is on schedule for launch during 2018.

We report on a joint European Science Foundation-ESA “Forward Look” project called TECHBREAK aimed at identifying technological breakthroughs for space originating in the non-space sector. We show how some of the technologies highlighted may impact future space programmes, in particular novel ideas to enable future long-life large telescopes to be deployed. The study’s final report was presented to ESA’s High level Science Policy Advisory Committee (HISPAC) in late 2014. The goals of the study were to forecast the development of breakthrough technologies to enable novel space missions in the 2030-2050 timeframe, and to identify related partnerships through synergies with non-space specialists. It was not prepared to serve as a definitive guide for very specific technologies to be developed for future space missions, but to inform on and flag up the main developments in various technological and scientific areas outside space that may hold promise for use in the space domain. The report does this by identifying the current status of research for each domain, asserting the development horizon for each technology and providing some entry points, in the form of key European experts and institutions with knowledge of the domain. The identification of problems and solutions specific to the space area led us to focus the discussion around the concept of “Overwhelming Drivers” for space research and exploration, i.e. long-term goals that can be transposed into technological development goals. Two of these overwhelming drivers are directly relevant to ambitious future telescope projects, and we will show how some of the technologies we identified such as biomimetic structures, nanophotonics, novel materials and additive manufacturing could be combined to enable revolutionary new concepts for space telescopes.

Our joint NASA GSFC/JPL/MSFC/STScI study team has used community-provided science goals to derive mission needs, requirements, and candidate mission architectures for a future large-aperture, non-cryogenic UVOIR space observatory. We describe the feasibility assessment of system thermal and dynamic stability for supporting coronagraphy. The observatory is in a Sun-Earth L2 orbit providing a stable thermal environment and excellent field of regard. Reference designs include a 36-segment 9.2 m aperture telescope that stows within a five meter diameter launch vehicle fairing. Performance needs developed under the study are traceable to a variety of reference designs including options for a monolithic primary mirror.

NASA’s "Enduring Quests Daring Visions" report calls for an 8- to 16-m Large UV-Optical-IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission to enable ultra-high-contrast spectroscopy and coronagraphy. AURA’s “From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth” report calls for a 12-m class High-Definition Space Telescope to pursue transformational scientific discoveries. The multi-center ATLAST Team is working to meet these needs. The MSFC Team is examining potential concepts that leverage the advantages of the SLS (Space Launch System). A key challenge is how to affordably get a large telescope into space. The JWST design was severely constrained by the mass and volume capacities of its launch vehicle. This problem is solved by using an SLS Block II-B rocket with its 10-m diameter x 30-m tall fairing and estimated 45 mt payload to SE-L2. Previously, two development study cycles produced a detailed concept called ATLAST-8. Using ATLAST-8 as a point of departure, this paper reports on a new ATLAST-12 concept. ATLAST-12 is a 12-m class segmented aperture LUVOIR with an 8-m class center segment. Thus, ATLAST-8 is now a de-scope option.

In 2014 we presented a concept for an Evolvable Space Telescope (EST) that was assembled on orbit in 3 stages, growing from a 4x12 meter telescope in Stage 1, to a 12-meter filled aperture in Stage 2, and then to a 20-meter filled aperture in Stage 3. Stage 1 is launched as a fully functional telescope and begins gathering science data immediately after checkout on orbit. This observatory is then periodically augmented in space with additional mirror segments, structures, and newer instruments to evolve the telescope over the years to a 20-meter space telescope. In this 2015 update of EST we focus upon three items: 1) a restructured Stage 1 EST with three mirror segments forming an off-axis telescope (half a 12-meter filled aperture); 2) more details on the value and architecture of the prime focus instrument accommodation; and 3) a more in depth discussion of the essential in-space infrastructure, early ground testing and a concept for an International Space Station testbed called MoDEST. In addition to the EST discussions we introduce a different alternative telescope architecture: a Rotating Synthetic Aperture (RSA). This is a rectangular primary mirror that can be rotated to fill the UV-plane. The original concept was developed by Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems for non-astronomical applications. In collaboration with Raytheon we have begun to explore the RSA approach as an astronomical space telescope and have initiated studies of science and cost performance.

The Advance Mirror Technology Development (AMTD) project is in Phase 2 of a multiyear effort, initiated in FY12, to mature by at least a half TRL step critical technologies required to enable 4 meter or larger UVOIR space telescope primary mirror assemblies for both general astrophysics and ultra-high contrast observations of exoplanets. AMTD Phase 1 completed all of its goals and accomplished all of its milestones. AMTD Phase 2 started in 2014. Key accomplishments include deriving primary mirror engineering specifications from science requirements; developing integrated modeling tools and using those tools to perform parametric design trades; and demonstrating new mirror technologies via sub-scale fabrication and test. AMTD-1 demonstrated the stacked core technique by making a 43-cm diameter 400 mm thick ‘biscuit-cut’ of a 4-m class mirror. AMTD-2 is demonstrating lateral scalability of the stacked core method by making a 1.5 meter 1/3rd scale model of a 4-m class mirror

The Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST) team has identified five key technologies to enable candidate architectures for the future large-aperture ultraviolet/optical/infrared (LUVOIR) space observatory envisioned by the NASA Astrophysics 30-year roadmap, Enduring Quests, Daring Visions. The science goals of ATLAST address a broad range of astrophysical questions from early galaxy and star formation to the processes that contributed to the formation of life on Earth, combining general astrophysics with direct-imaging and spectroscopy of habitable exoplanets. The key technologies are: internal coronagraphs, starshades (or external occulters), ultra-stable large-aperture telescopes, detectors, and mirror coatings. Selected technology performance goals include: 1x10^-10 raw contrast at an inner working angle of 35 milli-arcseconds, wavefront error stability on the order of 10 pm RMS per wavefront control step, autonomous on-board sensing and control, and zero-read-noise single-photon detectors spanning the exoplanet science bandpass between 400 nm and 1.8 μm. Development of these technologies will provide significant advances over current and planned observatories in terms of sensitivity, angular resolution, stability, and high-contrast imaging. The science goals of ATLAST are presented and flowed down to top-level telescope and instrument performance requirements in the context of a reference architecture: a 10-meter-class, segmented aperture telescope operating at room temperature (~290 K) at the sun-Earth Lagrange-2 point. For each technology area, we define best estimates of required capabilities, current state-of-the-art performance, and current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) – thus identifying the current technology gap. We report on current, planned, or recommended efforts to develop each technology to TRL 5.

The Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST) is a concept for a 9.2 m aperture space-borne observatory operating across the UV/Optical/NIR spectra. The primary mirror for ATLAST is a segmented architecture with pico-meter class wavefront stability. Due to its extraordinarily low coefficient of thermal expansion, a leading candidate for the primary mirror substrate is Corning’s ULE® titania-silicate glass. The ATLAST ULE® mirror substrates will be maintained at ‘room temperature’ during on orbit flight operations minimizing the need for compensation of mirror deformation between the manufacturing temperature and the operational temperatures. This approach requires active thermal management to maintain operational temperature while on orbit. Furthermore, the active thermal control must be sufficiently stable to prevent time-varying thermally induced distortions in the mirror substrates. This paper describes a conceptual thermal management system for the ATLAST 9.2 m segmented mirror architecture that maintains the wavefront stability to less than 10 pico-meters/10 minutes RMS. Thermal and finite element models, analytical techniques, accuracies involved in solving the mirror figure errors, and early findings from the thermal and thermal-distortion analyses are presented.

High development cost is a challenge for space telescopes and imaging satellites. One of the primary reasons for this high cost is the development of the primary mirror, which must meet diffraction limit surface figure requirements. Recent efforts to develop lower cost, lightweight, replicable primary mirrors include development of silicon carbide actuated hybrid mirrors and carbon fiber mirrors. The silicon carbide actuated hybrid mirrors at the Naval Postgraduate School do not meet the surface quality required for an optical telescope due to high spatial frequency residual surface errors. A technique under investigation at the Naval Postgraduate School is to correct the residual surface figure error using a deformable mirror in the optical path. We present a closed loop feedback gradient controller to actively control a SMT active segment and an additional deformable mirror to reduce residual wavefront error. The simulations and experimental results show that the gradient controller reduces the residual wavefront error more than an integral controller.

The optical design of the wide field of view refractive camera with a 34 degree diagonal field for the TESS payload is described. This fast f/1.4 cryogenic camera, operating at -75°C, has no vignetting for maximum light gathering within the size and weight constraints. Four of these cameras capture full frames of star images for photometric searches of planet crossings. The optical design evolution, from the initial Petzval design, takes advantage of Forbes aspheres to develop a hybrid design form. This maximizes the correction from the two aspherics resulting in a reduction of average spot size by sixty percent in the final design. An external long wavelength pass filter has been replaced by an internal filter coating on a lens to save weight, and has been fabricated to meet the specifications. The stray light requirements are met by an extended lens hood baffle design, giving the necessary off-axis attenuation.

Are we alone? Answering this ageless question will be a major focus for astrophysics in coming decades. Our tools will include unprecedentedly large UV-Optical-IR space telescopes working with advanced coronagraphs and starshades. Yet, these facilities will not live up to their full potential without better detectors than we have today. To inform detector development, this paper provides an overview of visible and near-IR (VISIR; λ= 0.4 - 1.8 μm) detector needs for the Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST), specifically for spectroscopic characterization of atmospheric biosignature gasses. We also provide a brief status update on some promising detector technologies for meeting these needs in the context of a passively cooled ATLAST.

In this paper, we present some ideas regarding the optics and imaging aspects of granular spacecraft. Granular spacecraft are complex systems composed of a spatially disordered distribution of a large number of elements, for instance a cloud of grains in orbit. An example of this application is a spaceborne observatory for exoplanet imaging, where the primary collecting aperture is a cloud of small particles instead of a monolithic aperture.

FalconSAT-7 (FS-7), a 3U CubeSat solar telescope, is the first-ever on-orbit demonstration of a lightweight deployable membrane primary optic that is twice the size of the host spacecraft. The telescope payload consists of the deployment structure, optical, electronic subsystems and occupying 1.5 U, while the rest of the volume is used for the bus, including satellite power, control, communications with the ground, etc. The deployment subsystem provides membrane deployment, positioning and tension with high precision for proper imaging, while the optical subsystem includes secondary optics with a camera to record images of the Sun at H-alpha. The electronics subsystem is used to control the primary optics deployment, focusing, image storage and transfer to the bus etc. We conducted an end-to-end flight optical subsystem test and a series of tests of the corrosion of the photon sieve due to atomic oxygen. The flight model build will be completed by October 2015with a launch date set for September 2016.

The success of the Euclid's NISP (Near-Infrared Spectro-Photometer) instrument for the Euclid mission requires very high performance detectors for which tight specifications have been defined. These must be verified over more than 95% of the focal plane which is equipped with 16 H2RG infrared pixel detectors. Teledyne will provide these detectors and their electronics under ESA and NASA contracts. The detectors will be selected, qualified then delivered to the NISP instrument under Euclid specifications. To prepare the future calibration plan, these detectors must also be fully characterized at the pixel level before their integration. This characterization is crucial to the future processing and in-flight calibration. For a good control of the performance, the detector specifications for Euclid require in one hand to know some characteristics such as noise and dark current at a level as low as 10^-3 e^- /s , but also in other hand, require to have model of some specific properties of these detectors such as their non-linearity response, or their latency signals, which will imply specific measurements, characterization and studies. For this purpose, we have constructed dedicated facilities, and prepared a full test plan with adapted analysis methods and software tools that will be used to calibrate flight detectors. Here we describe the status of this plan, the facilities and their validation. We then present some preliminary results on dark current, total noise, CDS noise and some first estimations of persistence, using high performance engineering grade Euclid detectors provided by ESA. A pilot run is foreseen at the end of the year to validate the full test plan. Next step will be the characterization of flight detectors expected to start mid 2016.

The EUCLID mission within the European Space Agencies 2015 - 2025 Cosmic Vision framework addresses cosmological questions related to dark matter and dark energy. EUCLID is equipped with two instruments that are simultaneously observing patches of > 0:5 square degree on the sky. The VIS visual light high spacial resolution imager and the NISP near infrared spectrometer and photometer are separated by a di-chroic beam splitter. With its large FoV (larger than the full moon disk), together with high demands on the optical performance and strong requirements on in flight stability lead to very challenging demands on alignment and post launch { post cool-down optical element position. In addition the demanding requirements from spectroscopy and galaxy photometry lead to a highly demanding stray light and ghost control need. With this paper we present a preliminary - PDR level - analysis of ghosting and stray light levels in the EUCLID NISP near infrared spectrometer and photometer. The analysis presented focuses on the photometric channel, as this, together with the wide field of the instrument, shows most of the challenges and features of the instrument. As one requirement is to have a non vignetting design, extensive baffling is not possible, and only secondary and higher order light can be actively baffled. A comprehensive ZEMAX based analysis is being presented, showing in summary that baffles are only necessary due to the EUCLID fine guiding sensors auxiliary fields of view. The total level of contaminating light is thereafter dominated by stray light from dust on the lenses. Ghosts play a minor role.

NASA Cosmic Origins (COR) Program identified the development of high reflectivity mirror coatings for large astronomical telescopes particularly for the far ultra violet (FUV) part of the spectrum as a key technology requiring significant materials research and process development. In this paper we describe the challenges and accomplishments in producing stable high reflectance aluminum mirror coatings with conventional evaporation and advanced Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) techniques. We present the current status of process development with reflectance of ~ 55 to 80% in the FUV achieved with little or no degradation over a year.

Hyperspectral imaging has been providing vital information on the Earth landscape in response to the changing environment, land use and natural phenomena. While conventional hyperspectral imaging instruments have typically used rows of linescan CCDs, CMOS image sensors (CIS) have been slowly penetrating space instrumentation for the past decade, and Earth observation (EO) is no exception. CIS provide distinct advantages over CCDs that are relevant to EO hyperspectral imaging. The lack of charge transfer through the array allows the reduction of cross talk usually present in CCDs due to imperfect charge transfer efficiency, and random pixel addressing makes variable integration time possible, and thus improves the camera sensitivity and dynamic range. We have developed a 10T pixel design that integrates a pinned photodiode with global shutter and in-pixel correlated double sampling (CDS) to increase the signal to noise ratio in less intense spectral regimes, allowing for both high resolution and low noise hyperspectral imaging for EO. This paper details the characterization of a test device, providing baseline performance measurements of the array such as noise, responsivity, dark current and global shutter efficiency, and also discussing benchmark hyperspectral imaging requirements such as dynamic range, pixel crosstalk, and image lag.

Dynamic charge collection effects in thick CCDs have received interest in recent years, due to the performance implications for both ground and space based precision optical astronomy. The phenomena manifest as the "brighter - fatter" effect in Point Spread Function (PSF) measurements, and nonlinearity and signal dependence in spatial autocorrelation and photon transfer measurements. In this paper we present validation results from simple, analytically based predictive models for this effect, using an e2v CCD250. The model is intended to provide estimations for predicting device performance based on design parameters.

JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) is an ESA L class mission due for launch in 2022 as part of the agency’s Cosmic Vision program [1][2]. The primary science goal is to explore and characterise Jupiter and several of its potentially habitable icy moons, particularly Ganymede, Europa and Callisto.

The JANUS instrument is designated to be the scientific imager on-board the spacecraft with a wavelength range between 400 nm and 1000 nm and consists of a catoptric telescope coupled to a CMOS detector [3], specifically the CIS115 monolithic active pixel sensor supplied by e2v technologies[3]. A CMOS sensor has been chosen due to a combination of the high radiation tolerance required for all systems aboard the spacecraft and its capability of operating with integration times as low as 1 ms, which is required to prevent blur when imaging the moons at fast ground velocities since the camera has no mechanical shutter. However, an important consideration of using CMOS in high radiation environments is the generation of defects or defect clusters that result in pixels exhibiting Random Telegraph Signal (RTS)[5].

A study of RTS effects in the CIS115 has been undertaken, and the method applied to identify pixels in the array that display RTS behaviour is discussed and individual RTS-exhibiting pixels are characterised. The changes observed in RTS behaviour following irradiation of the CIS115 with protons is presented and the temperature dependence of the RTS behaviour is studied. The implications on the camera design and imaging requirements of the mission are examined.

The CIS115 is one of the latest CMOS Imaging Sensors designed by e2v technologies, with 1504x2000 pixels on a 7 μm pitch. Each pixel in the array is a pinned photodiode with a 4T architecture, achieving an average dark current of 22 electrons pixel^-1 s^-1 at 21°C measured in a front-faced device. The sensor aims for high optical sensitivity by utilising e2v’s back-thinning and processing capabilities, providing a sensitive silicon thickness approximately 9 μm to 12 μm thick with a tuned anti-reflective coating.

The sensor operates in a rolling shutter mode incorporating reset level subtraction resulting in a mean pixel readout noise of 4.25 electrons rms. The full well has been measured to be 34000 electrons in a previous study, resulting in a dynamic range of up to 8000. These performance characteristics have led to the CIS115 being chosen for JANUS, the high-resolution and wide-angle optical camera on the JUpiter ICy moon Explorer (JUICE).

The three year science phase of JUICE is in the harsh radiation environment of the Jovian magnetosphere, primarily studying Jupiter and its icy moons. Analysis of the expected radiation environment and shielding levels from the spacecraft and instrument design predict the End Of Life (EOL) displacement and ionising damage for the CIS115 to be equivalent to 10¹⁰ 10 MeV protons cm^-2 and 100 krad(Si) respectively. Dark current and image lag characterisation results following initial proton irradiations are presented, detailing the initial phase of space qualification of the CIS115. Results are compared to the pre-irradiation performance and the instrument specifications and further qualification plans are outlined.

Optical design of a small reflecting telescope for use in a 3U CubeSat mission is reported in this study. A Ritchey- Chretien type telescope for earth observation techniques is adopted in this design. The primary mirror and secondary mirror are circular apertures with 75-mm and 15-mm in diameter. The effective focal length is 1050-mm operated at 480-km altitude. A commercial 658 × 492 CCD image sensor with a pixel size of 7.4-μm × 7.4-μm is applied, which capture a 2.23-km × 1.67-km swath area. The ground resolution is moderate to be 3.4-m for CubeSat application. The MTF is expected to be about 0.3 at camera Nyquist frequency at 67.6-lp/mm. The tolerance analysis is performed for further understanding on fabrication and assembly errors. This telescope shows a reasonable design to obtain a more detailed image with a CubeSat. These results will be used in space exploration with CubeSat missions.

A description of an optical relay subsystem used in a high resolution earth observation satellite imager is presented. Tolerance and thermal analysis showed that very tight tolerances are required to achieve diffraction limited performance. The alignment technique and verification of the build of different components are presented. Typical results of the alignment process together with predicted performance are reported. Optical characterisation of the relay subsystem in terms of wavefront analysis is described. To achieve diffraction limited performance an optical correction method was developed and implemented. The successful practical implementation of wavefront correction to achieve diffraction limited relay lens system is demonstrated.

The Charge Coupled Device (CCD) has a long heritage for imaging and spectroscopy in many space astronomy missions. However, the harsh radiation environment experienced in orbit creates defects in the silicon that capture the signal being transferred through the CCD. This radiation damage has a detrimental impact on the detector performance and requires carefully planned mitigation strategies. The ESA Gaia mission uses 106 CCDs, now orbiting around the second Lagrange point as part of the largest focal-plane ever launched. Following readout, signal electrons will be affected by the traps generated in the devices from the radiation environment and this degradation will be corrected for using a charge distortion model. ESA’s Euclid mission will contain a focal plane of 36 CCDs in the VIS instrument. Moving further forwards, the World Space Observatory (WSO) UV spectrographs and the WFIRST-AFTA coronagraph intend to look at very faint sources in which mitigating the impact of traps on the transfer of single electron signals will be of great interest. Following the development of novel experimental and analysis techniques, one is now able to study the impact of radiation on the detector to new levels of detail. Through a combination of TCAD simulations, defect studies and device testing, we are now probing the interaction of single electrons with individual radiation-induced traps to analyse the impact of radiation in photon-starved applications.

The current baseline for the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (WFIRST/AFTA) instrument includes a single wide-field channel instrument for both imaging and spectroscopy. The only routinely moving part during scientific observations for this wide-field channel is the element wheel (EW) assembly. This filter-wheel assembly will have 8 positions that will be populated with 6 bandpass filters, a blank position, and a grism assembly that will consist of a three-element assembly to disperse the central wavelength undeviated for galaxy redshift surveys. All elements in the EW assembly will be made out of fused silica substrates (110 mm diameter) that will have the appropriate bandpass coatings according to the filter designations (Z087, Y106, J129, H158, F184, W149 and Grism). This paper will present and discuss spectral performance (including spectral transmission and surface-figure wavefront errors ) for a subset of the bandpass filter complement that include filters such as Z087, W149, and Grism. These filter coatings have been procured from three different vendors to assess the most challenging aspects in terms of the in-band throughput (> 95 %), out of band rejection (< 10⁻⁴), spatial uniformity (< 1% transmission level) and the cut-on and cut-off slopes (≈ 3% for the filters and 0.3% for the grism coatings).

The detector system (DS) of Euclid NISP’s instrument (Near-Infrared Spectro-Photometer) is a matrix of 16 H2RG infrared detectors acquired simultaneously. After their characterization done at CPPM (Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille), these detectors are integrated into a mechanical structure designed at LAM (Laboratoire d'Astronomie de Marseille) and called NI-FPA (Focal Plane Array) Before delivering the full instrument to ESA several test models have to demonstrate the performances of the detector system. The first test model, the Demonstrator Model (DM), has been integrated and tested in dedicated facilities at LAM. The aim was to validate both the integration process and the simultaneous acquisition of the detectors. Dark, noise, self-compatibility and EMC performances are presented in this paper.