  This paper gives a summary on the system concept and design of the focal
plane assembly of AsteroidFinder/SSB, a small satellite mission which is
currently under development at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). An athermal
design concept has been developed in accordance to the requirements of the
instrument and spacecraft. Key aspects leading to this approach have been a
trade-off study of the mechanical telescope interface, the definition of
electrical and thermal interfaces and a material selection which minimizes
thermally induced stresses. As a novelty, the structure will be manufactured
from a machinable AlN-BN composite ceramic. To enable rapid design iterations
and development, an integrated modeling approach has been used to conduct a
thermo-mechanical analysis of the proposed concept in order to prove its
feasibility. The steady-state temperature distribution for various load cases
and the resulting stress and strain within the assembly have both been computed
using a finite element simulation.
