Inflation-deployed camera and hyper-thin mirrors

Inflatable optics have the potential for large reduction in launch mass and volume, but they involve significant challenges to achieve the wavefront accuracy required for diffraction-limited operation in the visible and near IR. Current studies identify two major subsets of this topic: 1) inflation-deployed structures with a monolithic, but rolled, hyper-thin primary mirror and 2) an inflatable structure and inflatable membrane primary mirror. We address the current state of the art, the challenges involved, and a program development plan.