PROJECT BACKGROUND
Thales Alenia Space, a leading satellite manufacturer, wants to qualify a telescope in vacuum.
These high resolution space optics are intensively tested to avoid any defects before launch.
CUSTOMER REQUEST
Thales Alenia Space wants to make an interferometer measurement on a telescope and thus has to precisely align a big flat miror according to six degrees of freedom: Tx, Ty, Tz, Rx, Ry, Rz.
This autocollimator miror has to be positioned at the telescope’s optical axis height.
THE SOLUTION
SYMETRIE provides an hexapod combining high payload capacity with high precision to align the mirror in the six degrees of freedom, as well as its support equipped with an additional vertical translation table (Tz) in order to initially align the mirror at the telescope’s optical axis height.
The hexapod works in horizontal orientation, which is the most demanding one with respect to the efforts in the actuators.
The system is fully controlled by SYMETRIE-made electronic and ergonomic software.
SPECIFICATIONS
■ 10-6 mbar high vacuum compatible
■ ISO5 clean room compatible
■ High precision
■ Hexapod in horizontal orientation on a Tz vertical translation
■ Resolution: 0.1 µm
■ High payload: 1 ton
■ Stability 2 µrad/°C/15 hours
