ABSL Optical Space Products
ABSL Space Products has been a supplier of optical products to the Space industry for more than a decade and we offer products and capabilities in the following areas:
- Calibration Systems: For both IR and MMW instruments;
- LIDAR: Providing solutions for both optical filtering and Imaging LIDAR.
ABSL Calibration Systems
Calibration is at the heart of all measurement. ABSL recognises this point and have strived to improve and advance our blackbody calibration technologies so that our customers can obtain highly accurate and reliable data.
ABSL have been developing blackbodies for calibration systems for the last decade. During this period, ABSL have developed methods to enable detailed emissivity analysis to be performed and generated a large database of materials characteristics. This enables ABSL to design blackbody calibration systems for our customers quickly, accurately and economically.
Due to the implementation of our leading edge technologies and methodologies, ABSL have been able to integrate a large proportion of the electrical, and control electronics into the blackbody calibration system design. This has allowed ABSL to offer complete integrated design solutions with detailed characterisation which means quick, easy and predicable integration into the spacecraft. This design philosophy has won ABSL several contracts to design and manufacture Blackbody calibration systems on the Envisat and recently launched Metop-A programmes.
ABSL LIDAR Products
LIDAR is seen as an important technology for the development of a future generation of instruments allowing the measurement of key atmospheric properties, such as:
- Wind speed;
- Cloud distributions;
- Water vapour and CO2 concentrations.
A key element of the LIDAR instrument is the receiver system. ABSL, in consortium with other companies, has developed unique technologies applicable to this critical element.
Over the last five years ABSL Space Products, with partners Hovemere Ltd, have actively developed Space standard optical filtering instruments. We have now won three substantial contracts from ESA in this area, two of these in open competition.
Imaging LIDAR is a LIDAR application that enables 3D images of objects to be generated. ESA has an interest in this technology for the following applications:
- Rendezvous and docking (especially for Mars sample return mission);
- Autonomous planetary landing (for vehicles using powered descent);
- Autonomous navigation of planetary rovers.
ABSL have recently won a contract to lead the development of an Imaging LIDAR system. The development programme is due for completion in March 2008.