On-orbit thermal deformation prediction for a high-resolution satellite camera

Abstract

Thermal-structural analysis of satellite camera in the early design phase as well as during the later experimental verification is important due to the extreme thermal environment. The purpose of this work is to numerically investigate the thermal deformation for a high-resolution satellite camera under solar radiation. Based on the on-orbit thermal environment of the geosynchronous orbit, thermal-structural finite element model of the satellite camera is developed and opto-thermo-mechanical analysis of the optical system is proposed. Transient temperature distributions of the satellite camera under different extreme heat loads are obtained. Mirror deformations, translation and rotation have been introduced to the optical analysis and modulation transfer function analysis has been performed. Numerical simulation results reveal the dynamic response of the optical system under transient temperature and the thermal vacuum test predicts the imagery quality of the satellite camera, which can provide guidance for designers to analyze the on-orbit stability for the optical camera.