Current concepts for some future for space based astronomical observatories require extraordinary stability with respect to pointing and jitter disturbances. Exoplanet finding missions with internal coronagraphs require pointing stability of <10nrad 3σ (<2mas, 3σ). Closed-loop active dynamic isolation at the interface between a telescope and the spacecraft (where reaction wheels are the primary jitter source) can attain these requirements when incorporated with a robust overall pointing control system architecture which utilizes information from IRUs, star-trackers, and steering mirrors. ITT has developed a high TRL Active Isolation Mount System (AIMS) and through analyses and hardware test-bed work demonstrated that these stringent pointing and dynamic stability can be met for the Actively-Corrected Coronagraph for Exoplanet System Studies (ACCESS) [1] observatory.

Date Published: 4 August 2010
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 7738, Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy IV, 77381T (4 August 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.858265

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7738:
Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy IV
George Z. Angeli; Philippe Dierickx, Editor(s)