Low-Mass Planar Photonic Imaging Sensor
Project Introduction
We propose a revolutionary electro-optical (EO) imaging sensor concept that provides a low-mass, low-volume alternative to the traditional bulky optical telescope and focal plane detector array. This imaging sensor concept consists of millions of direct detection white-light interferometers densely packed onto photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to measure the amplitude and phase of the visibility function at spatial frequencies that span the full synthetic aperture.
More »Anticipated Benefits
These studies include (1) investigate major feasibility issues associated with the cost, performance, development time, and key technologies related to SPIDER in NASA missions, (2) provide image simulations for a variety of SPIDER design configurations for three important next generation NASA missions; Europa, Mars Reconnaissance orbiter (MRO), and near-Earth orbit (NEO) detection, (3) develop a technology roadmap that includes key risk mitigation activities that address NASA mission needs, (4) leverage DARPA funded efforts to pursue photonic spectrometer risk mitigation experiments. The work will leverage recent efforts at UC Davis and Lockheed Martin that include NIAC Phase I and DARPA program activities. In Phase II, we will continue to investigate, demonstrate, and report on a non-traditional EO telescope with photonic imager for the Jupiter icy moons orbiter reference mission.
More »Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin Space Systems | Supporting Organization | Industry | |
| University of California at Davis | Supporting Organization | Academic |
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Responsible Program:
- NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts
Project Management
Program Director:
Principal Investigator:
- Ben Yoo
Co-Investigators:
Project Duration
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 2 |
| Current: | 2 |
| Estimated End: | 3 |
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TA 8 Science Instruments, Observatories, and Sensor Systems
- TA 8.2 Observatories
Other / Cross-cutting:
