Joint Milli-Arcsecond Pathfinder Survey (JMAPS)

The JMAPS mission is a Department of the Navy space-based, all-sky astrometric bright star survey scheduled for a 2015 launch. JMAPS will produce an all-sky astrometric, photometric, and spectroscopic catalog covering the magnitude range of 1–12, with extended results through 15th magnitude.

The JMAPS space vehicle uses Comtech AeroAstro’s Astro 200AS bus to host the JMAPS instrument over a 3-year mission life. Evolved from spacecraft developed for the DoD’s Space Test Program, STPSat-1 and -2, the Astro 200AS provides unparalleled stability and pointing accuracy—measured in arcseconds—for a vehicle in its size class.

Comtech AeroAstro has been a participant in JMAPS mission development since 2005, building continuously on work originally performed for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under several Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contracts. These prior risk reduction efforts, which included critical-path hardware development for the JMAPS instrument, have demonstrated that the demanding technical requirements for JMAPS spacecraft stability, agility, and total pointing accuracy can be met with a microsat-class space vehicle (<200 kg). Comtech AeroAstro is working closely with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the US Naval Observatory (USNO) to provide a proven spacecraft bus incorporating extraordinary jitter control, significant software reuse, and use of high-TRL components to enhance reliability and overall mission success.