• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.64-74
• /
• 2018

Small high-resolution Earth observation satellites require precise optical alignment at the submicron level. However, misalignments can occur due to the influence of external factors during the launch and operation despite the sufficient alignment processes that take place before the launch. Thus, satellites need to realign their optical elements in orbit in what is known as a refocusing process to compensate for any misalignments. Refocusing algorithms developed for satellites have only considered de-space, which is the most sensitive factor with respect to image quality. However, the existing algorithms can cause correction error when inner and external forces generate tilt amount in an optical system. The present work suggests an improved online refocusing algorithm by considering the tilting effect for application in the case of a de-spaced and tilted optical system. In addition, the algorithm is considered to be efficient in terms of time and cost because it is designed to be used as an online method that does not require ground communication.