Comparison of off-axis TMA and FMA telescopes optimized over different fields of view

Abstract

TMA, or three mirror anastigmats, have already been used successfully for various space missions. In the frame of earth observation, ProbaV satellite uses 3 TMAs to cover a total 102.4° field-of-view; ground sampling distance is about 100m at the center of field-of view and 370m at the edge. For future earth observation missions, the goal would be to reach 100m spatial resolution all over the 102.4° FOV. This would require to up-scale optical specifications, thus increasing geometrical aberrations. FMA, or four mirror anastigmats, could thus be a good candidate for future missions, as a fourth mirror would allow better correction of optical aberrations. In this work, TMA and FMA have been optimized over different fields-of view. Performance limitations are then derived, which show that FMA seems promising for future missions. Radiometry aspects are discussed and preliminary tolerance analysis is carried out.