In-Space Telescope Assembly: When is it worth it?
PROJECT In Space Assembled Telescope (iSAT) Study SNAPSHOT NASA conducted a detailed study to understand when it is worth assembling telescopes in space rather than folding them into a single rocket and deploying them in space. The iSAT study team members at a face to face meeting at NASA Langley Research Center. The conventional approach of carefully folding a large space observatory into a single rocket and deploying it in space involves many challenges and risks. In-Space Assembly (ISA) is an approach where a space system is designed and built as a set of discrete modules that are launched into space on one or more rockets, transported to a central location, and robotically assembled into a fully functional system. A NASA study found that ISA holds the potential to address many of the challenges facing the conventional approach to deploying a large space telescope. With an intent to inform the Astrophysics Decadal Survey (Astro2020), NASA’s Astrophysics...