High precision optical metrology for DARWIN: design and performance
Abstract
The ESA DARWIN project uses a set of telescopes based on free flying satellites and operated as an aperture synthesis system. The relative position of all these satellites has to be maintained with a very high accuracy. This is only possible with the help of a very high precision metrology system. We present here in a first part the requirements for the optical metrology of DARWIN and the proposed definition of the metrology systems needed to answer these requirements. In the second part we present the design of the various systems. Eventually we give the results of the performance tests of breadboards that have been manufactured in the framework of the ESA study "High Precision Optical Metrology" to validate these designs.
- Publication:
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5th International Conference on Space Optics
- Pub Date:
- June 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004ESASP.554..501C
- Keywords:
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- Optical Metrology;
- DARWIN