Design Concepts for Space-Borne Multi-Mission Sensors for Tactical Military Needs

A standard electro-optical sensor can perform several different surveillance missions to support tactical military users. The missions include environmental sensing, land and ocean remote sensing, tactical missile tracking, and space object surveillance. The key is that while the spacecraft is a standard configuration for all missions, its design is a compromise between the specific requirements for each mission; the orbit chosen and operations mode for each mission also vary. Although sub-optimal for any given mission, standard sensor systems have the advantage of achieving a higher benefit-to-cost ratio by realizing economies of scale in production and reduced development. Point designs of three different multi-mission sensors are presented, supported by design analysis, and encompassing several approaches to telescope design, focal plane design, scanning system design, data processing system design, and orbits/coverage and operations. The resulting sensor system designs are highly capable, compared to existing systems, meet the performance goals established, and yet fit within the tactical satellite class.