Physik Instrumente supports space research
The company is providing 2,500 hybrid actuators for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) is celebrating the completion of its project with Physik Instrumente (PI), which provided 2,500 customized hybrid actuators worth 15.9 million euros for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). This world's largest ground-based telescope, which is being built in the Chilean Atacama Desert, will study electromagnetic radiation in the visible and near-infrared range and enable the exploration of exoplanets.
The telescope's 798 hexagonal mirror segments require extremely precise alignment in order to avoid image errors. PI's hybrid actuators, which were specially developed for this project, position the heavy mirror segments and correct deformations caused by gravity, temperature and wind in the nanometer range. Markus Spanner, CEO of PI, emphasized the importance of the collaboration for space research. The ELT project, which has been running since 2017, will continue to achieve technological milestones and advance scientific research.
