Low-mass high-performance deployable optical baffle for CubeSats

An optical moon baffle for stray light attenuation was developed for use on ExoplanetSat, a 3U CubeSat being developed jointly by MIT and Draper Laboratory which aims to detect transiting exoplanets via precision photometry. This paper will discuss the optical and mechanical design of the baffle, as well as the optical performance as demonstrated through the test of a prototype. The baffle collapses to fit into a small volume around ExoplanetSat's lens and deploys on orbit to a full length of 12 cm. The baffle is capable of attenuating moonlight by a factor of 105 at a lunar exclusion angle of 30 degrees.