Optical tracking system developed by Vision Engineering cuts satellite-tracking costs in half

Vision Engineering Solutions (Orlando, FL) has developed a new optical tracking system intended for monitoring satellites, missiles, drones, and a wide range of projectiles.

Ed Logue, chief executive officer of Vision Engineering, says the device was developed for the University of Central Florida (UCF) CREOL College of Optics and Photonics, which is also located in Orlando.

Ronald Phillips, chief scientist at the Townes Institute of Science and Technology Experimentation Facility at UCF, notes that the instrument was funded by a's Office of Naval Research.

Logue said Vision Engineering's optical tracking system can be manufactured more quickly and costs less than half of what government agencies pay for competitive instruments. The system consists of a tracking gimbal, optics (telescopes), sensors, a remote-control station, a generator (for remote site operations), and an enclosed trailer that houses the entire system for transportability.

The device accurately tracks moving objects and projectiles with both optics and specialized sensors, including infrared, and collects metric data and images for scientific and engineering analysis, says Vision Engineering.

The company's founders have had a relationship with UCF for over 20 years, resulting in collaborations on numerous projects that have taken basic and applied research through to prototypes and fielded systems.

"The Optical Tracking System has many potential uses, including Department of Defense test ranges for missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, commercial space operations, telecommunication, and NASA, which is considering deployment aboard the International Space Station," says Logue.

Vision Engineering is a client company of the University of Central Florida's Business Incubation Program located at Central Florida Research Park.

For more info, see: http://visionengineered.com/

Source: Vision Engineering Solutions