Flexible Design for an in-Space Assembled Telescope

Abstract

Many space-based and ground-based telescope proposals are trending towards larger primary mirror aperture diameters, driven in part by the desire within the astrophysics community to discover Earth-like exoplanets. Though ground-based telescopes can continue to grow in size, space-based telescopes are limited by the fairing size of a single launch vehicle. To enable larger and larger space-based telescopes, on-orbit assembly must be considered. This work seeks to understand the impact of flexible design options on the upfront and long-term costs of an in-space assembled telescope mission by evaluating space telescope architectures that incorporate different launch platforms. A 20-meter telescope concept is analyzed, and models of the structural, optical, thermal, launch, and trajectory subsystems are used to explore the impacts of flexible design on the launch costs and relative, or comparative, complexity of the telescope. The effects of uncertainty in the launch module are explored, and flexible design concepts are analyzed to identify alternate design concepts that were more favorable, in terms of estimated cost and complexity, once uncertainty is considered. The results of this analysis indicate that design concepts that incorporate flexibility in both the scope and timing of in-space telescope architectures, particularly those that use heritage design aspects from existing telescope missions, should be explored early in the concept development phase and may present better alternatives to existing in-space assembled telescope concepts.