SuperSharp has successfully completed their Innovate UK grant project. This project marks an incredible milestone for the team, as they continue to push the boundaries of innovation. This telescope is named after one of the Cambridge pubs, The Punter.
The technology in use is unfolding, self-aligning, light-weight telescopes. The optics must be positioned with respect to each other with an accuracy of a fraction of a wavelength and kept there at all times.
These unfolding telescopes can be launched as very small and light payloads and become large powerful telescopes once in orbit. The bigger the telescope is, the better the definition it can deliver. Their unique deployable optics technology dramatically reduces the launch size for any space optical system hence drastically improving capability for a given cost. Furthermore, to achieve high revisit rates many satellites are needed. As such with a considerable cost reduction per satellite, SuperSharp’s technology also enables extremely high refresh rates with large satellite constellations.
Other research groups are working on unfolding mechanisms and using the telescope images to determine what corrections need to be made to tune the system to give perfect images.
During the past few months, the company has focused on completing the Environmental campaign utilising their own in-house testing TVAC facility. They have successfully tested the deployment and retraction sequence for the unfolding mirrors.
This accomplishment wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication, expertise, and hard work of the SuperSharp team. However, the project would have also not reached completion without the immense support given by Innovate UK and the UK Space Agency.
SuperSharp is keen to keep developing their telescopes and to constantly evolve and include the latest technological advancements in their hardware.
