Architectures to Reduce Heater Power for Large Space Telescopes

Future concepts for large space telescopes (LUVOIR/ATLAST/HDST) include large sunshades for stray light control and thermal stability, though this approach often biases the telescope cold. Early concepts of LUVOIR-A predict nearly 10kW of heat is needed to bring the telescope back up to operating temperature. These room-temperature telescopes invite configurations that take more advantage of solar heating. This paper explores several different concepts to reduce not only heater power requirements by up to 66%, but also concepts that reduce the size of the deployed shade by 41%.