Starshade design for occulter based exoplanet missions

Mark W. Thomson; P. Douglas Lisman; Richard Helms; Phil Walkemeyer; Andrew Kissil; Otto Polanco; Siu-Chun Lee

doi:10.1117/12.858313

10 August 2010 Starshade design for occulter based exoplanet missions

Mark W. Thomson, P. Douglas Lisman, Richard Helms, Phil Walkemeyer, Andrew Kissil, Otto Polanco, Siu-Chun Lee

Proceedings Volume 7731, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 773153 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.858313
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We present a lightweight starshade design that delivers the requisite profile figure accuracy with a compact stowed volume that permits launching both the occulter system (starshade and spacecraft) and a 1 to 2m-class telescope system on a single existing launch vehicle. Optimal figure stability is achieved with a very stiff and mass-efficient deployable structure design that has a novel configuration. The reference design is matched to a 1.1m telescope and consists of a 15m diameter inner disc and 24 flower-like petals with 7.5m length. The total tip-to-tip diameter of 30m provides an inner working angle of 75 mas. The design is scalable to accommodate larger telescopes and several options have been assessed. A proof of concept petal is now in production at JPL for deployment demonstrations and as a testbed for developing additional elements of the design. Future plans include developing breadboard and prototype hardware of increasing fidelity for use in demonstrating critical performance capabilities such as deployed optical edge profile figure tolerances and stability thereof.

Citation Download Citation

Mark W. Thomson, P. Douglas Lisman, Richard Helms, Phil Walkemeyer, Andrew Kissil, Otto Polanco, and Siu-Chun Lee "Starshade design for occulter based exoplanet missions", Proc. SPIE 7731, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 773153 (10 August 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.858313

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