Payload Design
Payload Types
Remote Observation
We can sense things from a distance without needing direct contact with the target.
We can have passive (optical telescope) or active (radar) observations.
Communication / Navigation
Designed to transmit and receive information for communication or provide positioning and navigation data.
Action at a Distance
Project energy or interact remotely with a target, often involving active operations. Example, Space-based radar system, space-based lasers, space solar power.
People
Payloads that support human activities in space, including life support, habitat modules, and scientific instruments.
In-Situ
Payloads that interact directly with their environment to collect data or perform experiments on-site.
Cameras
- Navigation Cameras:
- Used for path planning, obstacle avoidance and situational awareness
- Wide-angle and mounted on rovers or landers
- Panoramic Cameras:
- Capture 360° views of surroundings for geological and environmental context
- Often equipped with multi-spectral imaging
- Descent Cameras:
- Capture images during landing for terrain assessment and safe landing site selection
- Provide data on surface characteristics
- Science Cameras:
- Designed for specific scientific objectives, such as mineral identification or organic material detection.
- includes spectral filters
- Stereo Cameras:
- Capture paired images for 3D visualization
- Aid in depth perception, crucial for navigation, manipulation tasks, etc.
- Microscopic Cameras:
- provide close-up images of soil, rocks, or biological samples
- essential for detailed examination of textures and potential biosignatures
Geochemical
Spectrometry is a collection of analytical techniques that measure the interaction of energy with matter to determine the composition, structure, or properties of a sample.
- X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectroscopy
- Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)
- Raman Spectroscopy
Biochemical
- Mass Spectrometry
- Gas Chromatography
- Liquid-Phase Analysis
Geophysical
Magnetometers
Seismometer
Radar
Heat Flow
Metrological Measurements
