Payload System Design of a CubeSat Distributed Telescope
Author(s)
Thatavarthi, Rohan
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Abstract
The Virtual Super-Resolution Optics with Reconfigurable Swarms (VISORS) mission is a
novel CubeSat formation distributed telescope mission that aims to investigate the underlying
energy release mechanisms in the solar corona. VISORS is a mission that was initially
conceived in the National Science Foundation (NSF) CubeSat Innovations Ideas Lab
workshop held in 2019. The mission will observe the corona in extreme ultra-violet (EUV) at
an angular resolution of less than 0.2 arcseconds using two 6U CubeSats that align and fly 40
meters apart to form a distributed telescope. Achieving such a mission requires key
technologies in the fields of diffractive optics, inter-satellite communication, CubeSat
propulsion, and relative navigation. The development of any single one of these technologies
is novel but all of them working in conjunction truly enables the VISORS mission. The
consolidation of these technologies into the Cubesat form factor poses a mechanical and
systems design challenge. This paper focuses on the preliminary payload design of the
VISORS CubeSats, the challenges inherent with combining the key technologies into a 6U
form factor, and the key next steps to mature the payload design. Working in conjunction with
10 different universities and a projected launch in late 2023, the VISORS mission will
demonstrate the capabilities of CubeSats to perform high precision coronal imagery and will
pave the path forward for future CubeSat swarm missions.
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Date
2020-12-10
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Text
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Masters Project
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