Mechanical Structure Design and Analysis of Focal Plane Unit (Fpu) for Earth Observation (Eo) Payload

Anwar, Muhammad Mubeen

Mechanical Structure Design and Analysis of Focal Plane Unit (Fpu) for Earth Observation (Eo) Payload

Master Thesis

2022

Abstract

The focal plane unit plays a vital role in an earth observation payload to meet its highly demanding optical performance requirements. Focal plane unit mechanics consist of a sensor module mounting and planar optics. An image is formed on the image plane and mechanics is used to hold sensors and planar optics in place. The mechanical design of this unit is has two functions. Firstly, it ensures optical focus and alignment of the image plane in the temperature extremes of the space environment. Secondly, the mechanics also needs to handle harsh launching loads to get the satellite in space. The important constraints of this design are the mass and volume which need to be considered during the design. Optical performance depends a lot on the design of the mechanics used to support and align optical elements and image sensors. In this dissertation we perform the design of a focal plane unit using Solid Works 3D CAD modelling software. To validate the mechanical performance of our design Finite Element Analysis (FEM) analysis needs to be performed on every mechanical element with application of launch and environmental loads. Assembly and integration of the focal plane unit is also an important consideration, which if not properly done may deteriorate the performance. Therefore, the assembly and integration procedure is also highlighted in this work. These processes are presented in this work with future recommendations for future work.

Keywords

Space Studies

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