Northrop Grumman AOA Xinetics' Telescope Expertise Tapped by Thirty Meter Telescope on Deformable Mirror Development Contract...
June 28 2016 - 11:00AM
The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) has awarded AOA Xinetics, a
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) company, funding to
continue supporting the telescope's Narrow Field Infrared Adaptive
Optics System.
The AOA Xinetics (AOX) team will design and build a functional
actuator mirror prototype with approximately 400 channels, drawing
on decades of experience in delivering deformable mirror products
for cryogenic environments, high altitude observatories,
space-based systems, and laser weapon systems. The team will test
the mirror against TMT operational requirements, including
performance at -30°C. AOX will also design the two deformable
mirrors required for the TMT Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics
system, which will correct the atmospheric turbulence in three
dimensions with more than one deformable mirror.
The company's industry-leading reliability and intimate
knowledge of materials properties combine to engineer
high-stability actuators for TMT, building an optics system capable
of surviving extreme stress, while delivering exceptional
performance.
TMT is a powerful, next-generation astronomical observatory that
is scheduled to begin scanning the skies in the 2020s. The
telescope is being built by an international collaboration
including participation in the U.S. by the California Institute of
Technology and the University of California. When completed, TMT
will enable astronomers to study objects from our own solar system
to forming galaxies at the very edge of the observable Universe,
near the beginning of time. Operating in wavelengths ranging from
the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared, TMT is an essential tool to
address questions in astronomy that will improve our understanding
of star and planet formation and the development of large-scale
structure in the universe, and help unravel the history of
galaxies.
"Because TMT is being designed specifically with adaptive optics
in mind, it could provide new observational opportunities in
essentially every field of astronomy and astrophysics," said Roman
Hachkowski, general manager, AOA Xinetics. "Thank you to the TMT
team for continuing their collaboration with our work and the
opportunity to be a part of this incredible program."
A leader in astrophysics, Northrop Grumman has extensive
experience and capabilities spanning systems engineering,
spacecraft manufacturing, precision sensors, space instrument
design, ground stations development, orbiting space platforms, and
more. Northrop Grumman is under contract to NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center leading the industry team that designs and develops
the James Webb Space Telescope's optics, sunshield and
spacecraft.
AOA Xinetics, part of Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Products
business unit, designs, develops, and manufactures a wide variety
of standard and custom electro-optic and optomechanical systems for
government, industrial and commercial customers. Since its
inception, AOA Xinetics has been manipulating light from the corner
grocer to the edges of the universe, providing customers with the
highest quality products and services.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems,
cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to government
and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
CONTACT: AnnaMaria White
424-327-0391
annamaria.white@ngc.com
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