Apportionment and analysis of satellite pointing performance: Illustrative use case of space systems engineering

Optical instruments for space applications are rather delicate subjects as customer demands are typically high in terms of performance and environmental conditions are harsh. For the development of such systems a highly integrated engineering team consisting of specialists from various technical disciplines is mandatory as thermal, structural and optical properties are impacting directly the imaging performance. Moreover, data acquisition and processing as well as a proper functioning of mechanisms and calibration concept are key for a successful mission. This multi-disciplinary and challenging field necessitates highly developed systems engineering processes and methodologies as well as adequate means for comprehensive simulations. The following sections aims on providing a brief insight into these subjects based on the example of a satellite's pointing performance.