Laser & Optoelectronics Progress, Volume. 62, Issue 13, 1322001(2025)

Design of Optical System for Lightweight and Compact Low-Light Camera in Deep Space Exploration

Jingbo Tong*, Baogui Zhang, Xingtai Feng, Ye Li, Yongfu Hu, and Changning Huang
Author Affiliations
  • Beijing Institute of Space Mechanics and Electricity, Beijing 100094, China
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    In the field of deep space exploration, an optical system was designed to meet the imaging detection requirements for shadowed regions on celestial surfaces. The system features a 45°×45° field of view, a 27.2 mm focal length, a spectral range of 430?680 nm, and a relative aperture of 1/2. To achieve high imaging quality and compact size, the design incorporates a novel symmetric optical structure based on the complexification of a positive lens near the aperture stop. The primary optical power of this structure integrates telephoto design elements, helping to reduce the system size. Through passive athermal optical design, the system can operate within a wide temperature range from -40 ℃ to +55 ℃. Additionally, precise micro-thermal stress design was applied to the double-cemented lenses to improve performance stability. During the design process, comprehensive analysis and optimization of the optical structure and aberrations resulted in excellent performance indicators: full-field distortion less than 3%, modulation transfer function value greater than 0.5 at a spatial frequency of 45.5 lp/mm within 0.9 normalized field of view, and total length of 72.8 mm. With its large field of view, large relative aperture, and compact size, the system enables rapid acquisition of target information during multiple takeoffs and landings in shadowed regions on celestial surfaces, while also reducing energy consumption and extending mission lifespan.

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    Jingbo Tong, Baogui Zhang, Xingtai Feng, Ye Li, Yongfu Hu, Changning Huang. Design of Optical System for Lightweight and Compact Low-Light Camera in Deep Space Exploration[J]. Laser & Optoelectronics Progress, 2025, 62(13): 1322001

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    Paper Information

    Category: Optical Design and Fabrication

    Received: Jan. 8, 2025

    Accepted: Jan. 20, 2025

    Published Online: Jul. 16, 2025

    The Author Email: Jingbo Tong (tjbopt@163.com)

    DOI:10.3788/LOP250469

    CSTR:32186.14.LOP250469

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