NanoEye -- Ultra-Light-Weight Surveillance System

Under Phase I Microcosm and ITT developed the conceptual design for NanoEyeâ„¢, a low-cost, light-weight, responsive space surveillance system based on existing hardware for essentially all components and a Microcosm structure using existing composites technology. Both a Tech Demo mission and set of operational systems providing visible resolution as good as 0.5 m (at 175 km altitude) in the near term for recurring costs of less than $1.5 million for the spacecraft and bus were defined. Phase II will provide a detailed design for both the Tech Demo and Advanced EO missions (to ensure that the demonstration is applicable to an operational system), space qualify structures for both systems, and define hardware and software components and an integration and test plan for the Tech Demo such that the spacecraft can be integrated and tested within 6 months of the end of Phase II. The mass of the Tech Demo is expected to be less than 10 kg and the dry mass of the Advanced EO less than 15 kg with propellant available for more than 2 km/sec of delta V. The result is a low-cost, low-risk, low-mass, but very capable spacecraft to directly support the Joint land warfighter.