A-TECH CORPORATION — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: Many steering mirrors have been developed over the years, but never has one been explicitl

Description

Many steering mirrors have been developed over the years, but never has one been explicitly designed for high dose radiation environments or long-term space operations. As a result, deployed spaced based optical systems for line-of-sight stabilization or beam control have not benefited from the higher bandwidth control and better error rejection that can result from designs incorporating fast steering mirrors. In a successful Phase I SBIR effort, ATA began the development of a 5" space qualified, fast steering mirror (SQ_FSM) by demonstrating a breadboard version of a radiation hardened, high accuracy position sensor; ATA also began developing and analyzing an innovative mechanical design that addresses thermal management and residual reaction torque, which are critical in a space environment. This Phase II proposal will advance the SQ_FSM Optical Unit design to CDR level, develop innovative radiation hardened position sensor and actuator designs, and design, build and test an SQ_FSM Engineering Development Unit (EDU) suitable for laboratory performance verification.