• International Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.8-15
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• 2018

For small earth observation satellites, alignment between the optical components is important for precise observation. However, satellite cameras are structurally subject to misalignment in the launch environment where vibration excitations and impacts apply, and in space environments where zero gravity, vacuum, radiant heat and degassing occur. All of these variables can cause misalignment among the optical components. The misalignment among optical components results in degradation of image quality, and a re-alignment process is needed to compensate for the misalignment. This process of re-alignment between optical components is referred to as a refocusing process. In this paper, we proposed a 3 - axis focusing mechanism to perform the refocusing process. This mechanism is attached to the back of the secondary mirror and consists of three piezoelectric inertia-friction actuators to compensate the x-axis, y-axis tilt, and de-space through three-axis motion. The fabricated focus mechanism demonstrated excellent servo performance by experimenting with PD servo control.