Technology

The Basics

Almost all Optech products are based on all the same technology: Lidar. It works a lot like ordinary radar, except that our systems send out laser pulses or beams of light rather than broad radio waves. A receiver system times, counts and processes the returning light. This process happens at speeds that allow us to collect millions of data points in seconds.

Learn more about Lidar

Point Cloud Data - Analysis in 3D

Similar to a digital camera Optech's space lidar systems are capable of producing a digital image of a scene. Just as digital camera produces an image that is made of millions of pixels, a lidar image consist of millions of laser shots. Because we know the exact range and location of each laser shot we can produce a 3D image or a cloud of points known as Point Cloud Data.

What can you do with Lidar in space?

• Autonomously dock a spacecraft with the International Space Station
• Measure the speed and rotation of other satellites and small bodies
• Safely land on the Moon by avoiding unknown hazards, such as rocks and slopes
• Measure the chemical composition and concentration of the martian atmosphere
• Create 3D maps of asteroids or small moons

Definition

(li-dar) noun: A method of detecting distant objects and determining their position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of pulsed laser light reflected from their surfaces.

(li-dar) acronym: Light Detection and Ranging