A group of NASA scientists has developed a carbon nanotube-based mirror for a telescope that can be integrated with miniaturized satellites designed for use in Earth observations, scientific investigations and deep space exploration missions.
The team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center led by Theodor Kostiuk has partnered with Lightweight Telescopes to develop the telescope for CubeSat through the center’s Internal Research and Development program, the space agency said Wednesday.
Kostiuk said the team is looking at commercially available imagers and other components for integration with the CubeSat telescope.
The researchers have developed an optical bench in order to evaluate the telescope’s design.
NASA said the optical bench consists of three miniature spectrometers that work to detect near-infrared wavelength bands and are connected to the mirror’s focused beam through fiber optic cables.
