Our Expertise
A system is only as good as
the thinking behind it.
Athena Optical Systems is an optical and optomechanical engineering consultancy that has been designing precision instruments, from the extreme ultraviolet to the long wave infrared, for over thirty-seven years. We take designs from the customer's concept through system analysis, prototype build, production, and delivery, and our systems have performed reliably in demanding spaceborne, airborne, terrestrial, and medical applications.
Our Process
As consultants, we begin every contract by working closely with the client to define and agree on the specifications, including the required ranges for resolution, GSD, GRD, SNR, and spectral response. By putting all requirements on the table at the outset, we can evaluate the trade-offs between size, weight, power, and cost and performance drivers such as aperture and coverage (FOV, detector format, scan strategy, swath, and revisit time). Each requirement is checked against physical limits, such as diffraction, photon budget, and detector capabilities, to confirm the design is achievable before detailed work begins.
Optical Design and Performance Analysis
Our optical designs are optimized to preserve image contrast down to the finest required detail across the full field and spectral band, while working within real-world obscuration constraints to make the most of usable collecting area. System-level analysis accounts for sensor noise and gain, geometric distortion, and stray light, so that predicted SNR and resolution reflect how the instrument will actually perform.
Software
The tools behind the work.
Optical design
Zemax
CAD
Solid Edge, KeyCreator, Rhino
Stray light analysis
FRED
FEA analysis
Femap with NX Nastran
CAM
NX CAM Pro