Mersen announces its participation in the ELT project (Extremely Large Telescope) from ESO (European Southern Observatory) to realize the 5e and final mirror of this future giant telescope, the most powerful in the world.
Mersen, which had already been awarded the contract to build the reference structure for the 4e mirror by the Italian consortium AdOptica, has this time been chosen by Safran Reosc, in charge of the contract, for its solution based on the use of silicon carbide (SiC).
Mersen Boostec, a subsidiary of the Mersen group, will produce the lightweight SiC mirror blank to Safran Reosc's specifications. SiC is a light, rigid, stable ceramic with low sensitivity to temperature variations. It is prized for its unrivalled thermo-elastic stability in optical instruments.
This order illustrates Mersen Boostec's recognized expertise in silicon carbide, which has equipped more than 19 all-SiC telescopes currently deployed in space.
For 20 years, Mersen has been contributing to astronomy through such prestigious ESA space missions as Rosetta, Herschel, GAIA and soon NASA's JWST mission. With the ELT project, Mersen has gained access to a major ground-based astronomy project.
Learn more: www.mersen.com