Sizing a Space Telescope for Exoplanet Studies: A Systems Engineering Case Study

Abstract

Systems Engineering is an involved and non-standardized process that can vary dramatically even within different parts of the same project. Here I present a case study for applying systems engineering techniques to an optomechanical problem for a space based telescope. This telescope is being used to study exoplanetary systems and is very similar in concept and in design specifications to the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. It includes active wavefront control and a coronagraph to improve the exoplanet detection capabilities. Here I discuss the design decisions that went into determining the appropriate size for the primary mirror of the telescope. The end goal is to have a telescope primary that is sufficiently large to obtain signal to noise ratios required to detect exoplanets. The process I used here involved preliminary orbital design work for the telescope, understanding the behavior of the rest of the optics within the telescope system, the output and geometry of the target planetary systems, and balancing the desired SNR with reasonable design constraints on the size of the primary.