Lightweight Active Nanolaminate Mirror with Wireless Shape Control

In this Phase II effort, Xinetics proposes a 15 cm subscale and a 40 cm fullscale Lightweight Nanolaminate Active Mirror with Wireless Shape Control demonstrators to provide a road map for a 75 cm 1 kg/m2 Phase III First Article. The development of a wireless actuator technology is a critical milestone enabling the ultra-low areal densities. The nanolaminate replicated mirror substrates bonded to a lightweight stiff SiC substrate will function as the lightweight substrate. The active elements will be wireless actuators driven by light or electron beam energies. With our approach, the weight of the telescope design will be reduced in two ways. First, the optical surface of the nanolaminate will replace the polished glass traditionally used in a space based telescope design. Second, since the actuators will be driven by a remote current source, the need for wires and power supplies that drive traditional active mirrors are eliminated. The combination of lightweight mirror technology with nanolaminate materials and integrated wireless actuator technology provide a roadmap for future very large aperture active mirror telescopes.