Scientific CMOS Camera , Large Format , 2 . 4 Meter Telescope

2026-11-03

SCOPE OF WORK 15 . 1 Introduction The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology ( NMT ) is seeking a scientific CMOS - chip , large - format , high sensitivity , high frame rate , low noise camera for its 2 . 4 - meter telescope . This 2 . 4 - meter telescope is a modified Ritchey Cretian design , and the camera will be mounted on one of the Nasmyth ports . This instrument will be used for astrometry and photometric characterization of Near - Earth Objects ( NEOs ) as well as tracking and characterization of resident space objects ( RSOs ) for the Air / Space Force . The expected operating environments range from 20 to - 15 ° C . 15 . 2 Camera Requirements • Shall include a grade 1 sCMOS back - illuminated sensor with peak QE of 90 % or greater in the 500 - 600 nanometer wavelength with a pixel well depth of greater than 90 , 000 electrons . The option of a mechanical shutter with a diameter greater than the diagonal size of the sensor is desirable . • Shall have an absolute sensor size of nominally 45x45 millimeters or greater ( preferred ) with a pixel size of 10 - 15 microns to achieve our science field - of - view objectives . The sensor and / or software shall permit pixel binning of up to 4x4 . • Shall be thermoelectrically ( TE ) air - cooled , capable of achieving an operating temperature greater than 40 degrees C below the ambient environment or less than - 20C absolute . • Shall have a flat mounting interface with identified bolt pattern with 10 - 30 mm distance from this surface to the image sensor ( i . e ., backfocus ). • Shall have a total weight of less than 11 . 4 kilograms ( 25 pounds ). • Shall have data interface of USB3 and / or fiber . • Shall include Windows software capable of utilizing the full functionality of the camera including the delivery of timestamped 16 - bit fits images with less than 4 electrons per ( unbinned ) pixel read noise . Existence of ASCOM and / or Linux drivers for the camera is desired . • Shall optionally include ( preferred ) hardware and software to permit accurate GPS time - stamping functionality to the delivered images . • Shall include a warranty for hardware defects and customer support for a period of at least one year .

New Mexico

2026-05-02