Teledyne DALSA has partnered with the University of Arizona in the development of three high-resolution image detectors that will serve as retinas for the OSIRIS-REx mission to Bennu, scheduled for launch Thursday, September 8.

Designed, constructed and tested over the last four years, the image sensors aboard OCAMS will behave in a manner similar to human eyes, from spotting the target asteroid from more than a million miles away to monitoring the sampling process just 10 feet from the surface of the asteroid. Space-qualified and radiation-hardened, the Teledyne DALSA CCD detectors feature very low dark signal with a low readout noise, and power each of the 3 cameras that comprise the OCAMS:

• PolyCam will collect telescopic images during the approach to Bennu and high resolution images once in formation

• MapCam is tasked with collecting color imagery and searching for satellites around the asteroid

• SamCam is dedicated to deliver context imagery during the Touch-and-Go sample collection.

The spacecraft will reach Bennu in 2018 and return a sample to Earth in 2023.

“Our mission tries to attempt a lot of things at the same time,” OCAMS instrument scientist Bashar Rizk said. “Navigation, mapping, reconnaissance, sample site selection, sampling … we do it on the same trip, so we need to understand what is going on at the asteroid at all times, so we can make decisions in real time when we’re there. The most important goal of these cameras is to maximize the chances of successfully bringing back a sample.”

“We are pleased to contribute specialized imaging components to the OSIRIS-REx mission and congratulate the team at UA’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory as well as our own Custom Solutions team for their contributions in furthering science through space exploration,” added Colin Flood, Vice President, Teledyne DALSA Advanced Imaging.

Two other Teledyne subsidiaries have contributed to the mission:

Teledyne Optech, with their design of the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) which will scan Bennu’s surface and create a high-resolution 3D map of the entire asteroid

Teledyne Scientific and Imaging, which provided a visible-infrared detector to the OSIRIS-REx Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (OVIRS) that will produce spectral maps of the asteroid’s surface that determine the mineral and organic content of Bennu

About Teledyne DALSA’s Custom Solutions

Teledyne DALSA’s custom solutions are comprised of a broad technology portfolio covering wavelengths from X-ray to infrared and tuned to meet the most demanding imaging applications. With more than 20 years of design, engineering and manufacturing expertise, the custom solutions team delivers the best possible image quality for a wide range of earth observation and reconnaissance applications, including agriculture, cadastral mapping, cartography, forestry, land use and land cover mapping, environmental studies, natural hazard assessment, flood risk management, transportation engineering, urban planning, civil engineering, oil and gas exploration and geology

About Teledyne DALSA, Inc.

Teledyne DALSA, a Teledyne Technologies company, is an international leader in high performance digital imaging and semiconductors with approximately 1,000 employees worldwide, headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1980, the company designs, develops, manufactures and markets digital imaging products and solutions, in addition to providing specialized semiconductor products and services including MEMS. For more information, visit www.teledynedalsa.com.