Space based Hyper-Spectral Imaging Sensor

ABSTRACT: The Phase I effort will focus on a design tradeoff study to address the mission requirements and how alternate HSI sensor system designs address the requirements. These trades will include field of view and sampling rate versus target velocity within the scene, focal plane array size, number of spectral bands, spatial resolution, scanning method (e.g. Fourier Transform/scanning Fabry-Perot, Cross Dispersive Prisms, dispersive linescan) and time to capture a spectrum. The following parameters will be used as initial goals to guide the design study: spectral range of 1 - 5 microns, image size, spectral resolution (10 - 50 nm), and spectrum capture time (10 - 100 ms). The trade study will include predicted system performance. Our design trade recommendations will be developed with an objective of defining a system design capable of performing the Battlespace Awareness and Strategic Missile Warning missions at representative altitudes. The technologies for the system design will be demonstrated first as a prototype HSI system for a ground or airborne proof of concept, and ultimately as a space qualified HSI sensor for space flight test. BENEFIT: The proposed system comprises a space hosted HSI sensor for Battlespace Awareness (BA), capable of targeting dynamic events and/or energetic battlefield objects (missiles, bomb blasts, aircraft, artillery fire) via a space-based HSI surveillance system. The product hardware will be compatible with ground and/or air based proof of concept, with system attributes to be cognizant of space qualified flight issues. The sensor hardware will address only the sensor system, but be capable of integration into the larger system foreoptics.