Project context
In 2018, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will replace Hubble. This telescope is an international collaboration led by the American NASA, the European Space Agency ESA and the Canadian Space Agency CSA. Many innovating techniques will be integrated to provide great pictures with sensitivity 100 times better than the former space telescopes.
Customer request
The NASA and the astronomical branch of CEA (the French Atomic Energy Commission) want to test CCD sensors of the optical instrument MIRIM (Mid Infra Red IMager) to guarantee high resolution of the images taken by the telescope.
They requested SYMETRIE's expertise for the optical test bench, that will simultaneously adjust CCD sensor position and light source.
Project specificities
- Two positioning systems: one for the cryostat containing the CCD sensor, one for the optical source
- High accuracy positioning: 1 µm
- SONORA and BREVA hexapods have been adapted to this specific application