Space Telescope Assemblies
Custom and Standardised Telescope Platforms
Astravon develops space telescope assemblies for satellite payloads, aerospace optical systems and research instruments. We supply custom assemblies and standardised telescope platforms with defined interfaces, controlled manufacturing and mission-specific verification.
Astravon supports a range of optical approaches, including refractive, reflective and wide-field imaging systems.
Assembly Scope
Supply scope is defined per programme, including interfaces, tolerances and verification responsibilities.
|
Included capability |
Scope |
|
Optical assemblies |
Primary and secondary mirrors, lens groups, mounts and metering structures |
|
Mechanical integration |
Telescope housing, optical bench interfaces and spacecraft mounting features |
|
Stray-light control |
Internal and external baffles, low-reflectance surface treatment and analysis |
|
Focal-plane integration |
Custom interfaces for CMOS, CCD, SWIR, TDI and other focal-plane assemblies |
|
Thermal integration |
Material selection, thermal interfaces and athermalisation strategies |
|
Verification |
Optical metrology, alignment, structural, thermal and environmental test planning |
Optical Architecture Options
|
Architecture |
Application focus |
|
Ritchey–Chrétien / Cassegrain |
Compact, long focal-length imaging |
|
TMA and off-axis TMA |
Wide-field, low-distortion imaging |
|
Off-axis freeform reflective |
Ultra-wide field and compact packaging |
|
Refractive and catadioptric |
Compact or spectral-specific imaging systems |
|
Cryogenic configurations |
Infrared and low-temperature payloads |
Typical Characteristics of Complete Optical Assemblies
Depending on application requirements, complete optical assemblies may include:
- A fully defined optical architecture delivering a specific function
- Integrated refractive and/or reflective optical elements
- Mechanical structure supporting optical alignment and stability
- Defined optical and mechanical interfaces to the host system
- Assembly-level optical performance verification
Responsibility is limited to the optical assembly and does not extend to platform-, spacecraft-, or mission-level performance unless explicitly defined.
Ritchey–Chrétien Telescope Assemblies
|
Parameter |
Baseline capability |
|
Aperture range |
Ø100–Ø200 mm standard; up to Ø500 mm research-grade |
|
Baseline envelope |
Ø110 × 210.5 mm |
|
Focal length |
760–1,600 mm |
|
Focal ratio |
F/5.6–F/8 |
|
Materials |
SiC, Zerodur, ULE, aluminium |
|
Mirror coating |
Silver |
|
Spectral coverage |
VIS–NIR |
|
Baseline interface |
1-32 UN, C-mount compatible |
|
Flange-to-image distance |
17.5 mm |
Final configuration is defined against mission-specific optical, mechanical, thermal and environmental requirements.
|
Area |
Available configuration |
|
Optical design |
Aperture, focal length, F-number, field of view, image scale and spectral range |
|
Detector interface |
Focal-plane position, image circle, back focal length and mounting arrangement |
|
Mechanical design |
Envelope, mass, stiffness, mounting and launch orientation |
|
Thermal design |
Operating range, athermalisation and thermal interfaces |
|
Stray-light |
Baffle geometry, surface treatment, exclusion angles and PST targets |
|
Verification |
Qualification, protoflight or acceptance test route |
Custom and Standardised Configurations
Standardised platforms provide controlled baseline designs for repeatable manufacture and defined interfaces. When mission requirements exceed or differ from the baseline, custom development is necessary
Wide-Field Space Imaging
|
Reference architecture |
Capability |
|
Optical configuration |
Off-axis four-mirror freeform system |
|
Field of view |
70° |
|
Reference orbit |
640 km |
|
Ground swath |
Approx. 800 km |
|
Ground resolution |
Approx. 16 m |
Wide-field systems are supported by freeform fabrication, interferometric metrology, precision alignment and thermo-elastic analysis. Project-specific evidence is provided as >0.5 @ 25 lp/mm field-dependent MTF, <0.1% distortion, >95% radiometric uniformity and <0.003 arcsec alignment stability.
Verification Outputs
Complete optical assemblies commonly include, but are not limited to:
|
Category |
Typical evidence |
|
Optical |
Wavefront error, MTF, distortion, encircled energy and relative illumination |
|
Alignment |
Bore-sight, line-of-sight stability and focal-plane position |
|
Structural and thermal |
Eigenfrequency, launch-load margin, thermal range and thermo-elastic stability |
|
Environmental |
Thermal-vacuum, thermal cycling, vibration, shock and post-test optical performance |
|
Documentation |
Test reports, inspection records, traceability matrix and configuration control |
Telescope Assemblies
Telescope assemblies represent a common and well-defined class of complete optical assemblies.
In this context, a telescope assembly refers to an optical instrument in which the full optical path—from entrance aperture to focal plane—is integrated and aligned as a single assembly.
Astravon supports telescope assemblies at the optical instrument level, including optical architecture, alignment, and verification, while maintaining clear interface boundaries to the host platform or mission.
Scope & Responsibility Boundaries
Complete optical assemblies are delivered with assembly-level responsibility.
System integration beyond the optical instrument, platform-level qualification, mission operations, and end-use performance remain outside scope unless explicitly agreed.
This approach ensures predictable collaboration with Prime contractors, agencies, and system integrators.
Start an Engineering Review
Share your aperture, focal length, field of view, spectral range, detector, orbit, environmental conditions and verification requirements. Astravon will define the suitable telescope architecture, assembly scope and evidence route — aligned to your specific mission objectives.
Evidence-Driven Excellence