A Low-Cost Earth Imaging Telescope

Observations of the Earth from space have primarily been dominated by applications that require very accurate pointing to specific locations of interest, with high reliability and small latency. However, today the general public has access to high-resolution imagery on a scale never before imagined. Acquiring large data sets of Earth imagery in a simple, low-cost way, represents a new market opportunity that has yet to be addressed. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss a telescope design that is part of a low-cost satellite with that purpose. The system uses a fast, two-mirror optical design with push-broom imaging. The design of the telescope involves innovative technologies to reduce costs without impacting the optical performance of the system. This paper will include a detailed theoretical performance analysis, as well as discussions of the test strategy and manufacturing approach that make this telescope very cost effective.