Although the performance of space cameras has largely improved, the micro vibration from flywheel disturbances still significantly affects the image quality of these cameras. This study adopted a passive isolation method to reduce the negative effect of flywheel disturbance on image quality. A metal-rubber shock absorber was designed and installed in a real satellite. A finite element model of an entire satellite was constructed, and a transient analysis was conducted afterward. The change in the modulate transfer function was detected using ray tracing and optical transfer function formulas. Experiments based on real products were performed to validate the influence of the metal-rubber shock absorber. The experimental results confirmed the simulation results by showing that the negative effects of flywheel disturbance on the image quality of space cameras can be diminished significantly using the vibration isolation method.

When a satellite is in orbit, its flywheel will generate micro vibration and affect the imaging quality of the camera. In order to reduce this effect, a rubber shock absorber is used, and a numerical model and an experimental setup are developed to investigate its effect on the micro vibration in the study. An integrated model is developed for the system, and a ray tracing method is used in the modeling. The spot coordinates and displacements of the image plane are obtained, and the modulate transfer function (MTF) of the system is calculated. A satellite including a rubber shock absorber is designed, and the experiments are carried out. Both simulation and experiments results show that the MTF increases almost 10 %, suggesting the rubber shock absorber is useful to decrease the flywheel vibration.