HYDRO’s laser tracker in the service of astronomy

HYDRO took on an unusual task. The company was approached to carry out assembly work as part of the construction of a new-generation instrument for the ELT called METIS (Mid-infrared Extremely Large Telescope Imager and Spectrograph), a powerful mid-infrared imager and spectrograph developed for the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The telescope is intended to facilitate major advances in astronomy thanks to a mirror 39 metres in diameter, while the METIS will make it possible to study the structure and composition of objects with revolutionary precision.

A Europe-wide project

METIS is a collaboration between ten European astronomy institutes, as well as one each from the United States and Taiwan. The Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), a key member of the project, is responsible for developing and supplying the METIS cryosat, as well as other inputs in the field of optics. Precise positioning is required to assemble the various components, which was why ETHZ contacted the geomatics department at HYDRO Exploitation.

Speed and precision

On site, the work took place in a clean room to minimise the introduction of particles and control the temperature and humidity. It was also necessary to wear appropriate all-in-one protective workwear to avoid bringing in external pollution. The portability, speed of execution and measurement accuracy of the HYDRO Exploitation AT403 laser tracker meant the ETHZ specifications were met in full. A number of operations were required to assemble the various elements of the METIS cryosat.

The work was carried out in line with the requirements defined by the project. The cryosat will be transported to the Netherlands for the final construction of the instrument before it is integrated into the European ELT in Chile in a few years' time.