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Planetary Exploration

Teledyne Space Imaging holds some of the records for great engineering and scientific achievements. Our imaging sensors have been central to obtaining the first close up images of Pluto, visiting the Kuiper Belt and navigating fly-pasts of Mercury. These experiences have led to a proven track record resulting in devices flying for more than 16 years and then performing as planned in critical applications. This has informed all our service capabilities, allowing us to provide products that will persevere through the harshest of space environments.

 A vital component to learning more about other worlds is the ability to capture detailed images and spectroscopic data across the visible, UV, NIR and infrared (IR) spectrum. During 30 years of collaborating with the highest profile missions, the detailed scientific information and images obtained with Teledyne Space Imaging's CCD and CMOS sensors and IR FPAs are helping us understand more about our solar system. Essential device characteristics needed for these missions include low noise, very low dark current, deep depleted MCT, large pixel sizes, backside illumination and backthinned detector substrates.

Mars rover

Key Advantages

Teledyne Space Imaging can provide the highest performance, optimised and custom package solutions and assemblies for any mission.

●      Space proven large format CCD arrays

●      Highest performance large format Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) or HgCdTe FPAs

●      Custom and standard CMOS Image Sensors (CIS)

●      Flight proven star trackers

●      Space qualified

●      Radiation tolerant

●      In-house Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) grown MCT

●      State of the art CCD fabrication facility

●      In-house backthinning process

Artist’s conception of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in cruise configuration. Credit: University of Arizona/Heather Roper

Heritage​


With more than 12 flown planetary exploration missions that the Teledyne Space Imaging group have provided the imaging or detector or system and several planned missions, Teledyne has a proven and enviable market leading position in space qualified imaging solutions.​

Progra​mme / Mission Teledyne Space Imaging Product Spectrum
AKATSUKI - Planet C
CCD47-20 UV
Cassini-Huygens CCD47-20 VIS/IR
Chandrayaan - 2 CCD236 VIS
Chandrayann - 1 CCD54 X-ray
Clementine TH7883 VIS
CONTOUR CCD47-20 VIS
Deep Impact & EPOXI H1RG IR
EXOMARS CCD30-11 VIS
Hayabusa (1 & 2) CCD47-20 VIS/NIR
JUICE CIS115, H1RG VIS/IR
Juno
TH7890M IR
Lucy H2RG IR
Mars Surveyor ‘98 
TH7895M VIS
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CCD89 VIS
Curiosity Rover (CheMin and ChemCam) CCD224-20 VIS
MESSENGER TH7888 VIS/IR
New Horizons
CCD47-20 (LORRI), CCD96 (RALPH) VIS
OSIRIS-Rex H1RG, CCD, OLA IR/VIS
Rosalind Franklin (EXOMARS Rover) Sapphire, CCD230-22, CIS118 VIS
Rosetta Orbiter and Philae Lander CCD42-40, TH7896M, and TH7888 VIS
Venus Express TH7863 VIS​