E. Louis Cuellar (Trex Enterprises Corporation), E. Louis Cuellar (Trex Enterprises Corporation), Brett Spivey (Quexta), Laurence Chen, (Trex Enterprises Corporation), Lisandro Leon (Trex Enterprises Corporation), Kevin Hughes (Trex Enterprises Corporation), Dave Sandler (Trex Enterprises Corporation)
Keywords: Telescopes, Instrumentation
Abstract:
A detailed simulation has been developed to model a high resolution active imaging LEO satellite system currently being designed under the Satellite Active Imaging National Testbed (SAINT) program. This imaging system is based upon Fourier Telescopy, which uses multiple coherent laser beams that illuminate a target with a fringe pattern that sweeps across it due to a known frequency differences between the beams. In this way the target spatial frequency components are encoded in the temporal signal that is reflected from the coherently illuminated target. The software simulation program models both the dynamic reconfiguration of the continuous-wave transmitter laser beams and the atmospheric uplink / downlink turbulence effects. In addition, accurate modeling of the changing satellite target aspect over the imaging period is included in the simulation to properly model the received time-dependent reflected intensity received from the satellite target on the ground. A novel reconstructor has been developed that compensates for atmospheric phase fluctuations affecting the large number of beams transmitted simultaneously (10 20 beams). A new type of global phase closure has been developed, which allows image reconstruction from the time history of measured total reflected intensity from the target. The reconstruction algorithm also solves for hundreds of image Fourier components simultaneously, permitting rapid reconstruction of the image.
Date of Conference: September 10-14, 2006
Track: Telescopes and Instrumentation