Micro-spectrometer design for nano-satellite applications

纳米卫星(质量小于10公斤的航天器)为HQP培训、技术演示和先进的天基研究提供了新的机会。下一代纳米卫星已经在为各种私营工业和学术研究任务取代传统(大规模、昂贵、国有)卫星，包括动物跟踪、船只跟踪、通信、资源监测、大气科学、天气预报和地球物理。在过去的8年里，我们进行了研究，以开发新的技术，以扩展纳米卫星平台的能力，用于工业和科学目的。在拟议的研究中，我们建议与COMDEV加拿大有限公司合作，扩展这项研究，以开发一种基于微光学技术的新型微型光学有效载荷，即用于纳米卫星应用的微型空间外差光谱仪(SHS)。光学仪器小型化是空间工程的一个关键研究领域，其目的是利用纳米卫星平台以廉价和快速的方式提高我们的大气观测能力。这项拟议的研究建立在约克大学先前关于光谱仪设计的研究基础上，在那里开发了一台干涉光谱仪的原型。之前设计的原型光谱仪是利用空间外差技术开发的，具有高通量、高光谱分辨率和无运动部件的特点。这项研究是先前工作的延伸，旨在利用微制造技术设计和制造一种高度紧凑的微型光谱仪，非常适合在纳米卫星上进行大气观测。

Nanosatellites (spacecraft with mass less than 10 kilograms) offer novel opportunities for HQP training, technology demonstration, and advanced space-based research. The next generations of nanosatellites are already replacing conventional (large-scale, expensive, state-operated) satellites for a variety of private industry and academic research missions, including animal tracking, vessel tracking, communication, resource monitoring, atmospheric science, weather forecasting and geophysics. For the past 8 years we have conducted research to develop new technologies that extend the capabilities of the nanosatellite platform for both industrial and scientific purposes. In the proposed research, we propose to extend this research, in partnership with COM DEV Canada Ltd., to develop a novel miniature optical payload, based on micro-optics technology, namely a micro Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer (SHS) for nanosatellite applications. Miniaturizing optical instruments is a critical research area in space engineering which aims to take advantage of the nanosatellite platform to cheaply and rapidly advance our atmospheric observational capability. The proposed research builds on a previous study on spectrometer design at York University where a prototype interferometric spectrometer was developed. The previously designed prototype spectrometer was developed for water vapour detection using spatial heterodyne technique that offers high throughput, high spectral resolution and no moving parts. The proposed research is an extension of the previous work and aims to use micro-fabrication techniques to design and fabricate a fully integrated micro-spectrometer .in a highly compact package ideal for atmospheric observations on nanosatellites.