Develop and Demonstrate Inflatable Reflector Technology

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) responds to the Air Forces need to demonstrate the viability of inflatable optics deployed from picosatellites. The PSI PicoSat Inflatable ((PSI)2) will be designed to provide surface metrology data during optic inflationpressure changes, and through eclipse. PSI will set design goals for optical performance and mission lifetime and apply them to the allocation of the available space on two tethered picosatellites. One picosat will contain an inflatable optic with torusand standoff truss, inflation and make-up gas, and imaging systems. The other picosat contains data logging, control and management, communications, and power. PSI has considerable experience successfully developing inflatable optics, and has designedand constructed experiments for the space environment for over a dozen missions. PSI has teamed with Prof. Robert Twiggs, of the Stanford University Space Systems Development Lab, to assist the data logging control and management, communications, andpower design and optimization. On a Phase II effort, PSI will build the (PSI)2 dual tethered picosats, that will be launched and tested on a Phase III effort.Low cost SmallSats with sub-kilogram masses that utilize inflatable optics to view regions of theEarth have widespread commercial applications. Aerial viewing of any region of the planet could be achieved with low cost launch fees because of the light-weight of picosat imagers. Law enforcement, weather surveillance, regional high resolution mapping,and agriculture and fisheries monitoring could all be achieved through low cost, light weight imaging picosatellites.