In April, an important milestone was reached for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory currently under construction in Chile: the M1M3 mirror coating has been successfully applied1!
VON ARDENNE systems enable cutting-edge astronomical research
VON ARDENNE has been significantly involved in this success: A team of experienced VON ARDENNE employees carried out the coating of the mirror, in a state-of-the-art VON ARDENNE coating system built especially for the Rubin Observatory2.
The Rubin Observatory's primary/tertiary mirror - the only one of its kind in the world - is an essential part of the telescope's optical system, which also includes a 3.4-meter secondary mirror (also coated using a VON ARDENNE coting system) and the LSST camera, the largest digital camera in the world.
The project in retrospect
The project in Chile started back in 2016, when VON ARDENNE received the order from the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy to build the coating system for the telescope mirrors of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).
Two years later, the SKYVA mirror coating system made its way overseas. In 2019, the VON ARDENNE team successfully coated the M2 mirror - in just under five hours and despite difficult conditions.
Find more information here.
1Further details can be found in a press release: RRubin Observatory Achieves Another Major Milestone: Reflective Coating of the 8.4-Meter Primary/Tertiary Mirror | Rubin Observatory
2An exciting YouTube video gives you a brief insight into the process: https://youtu.be/yKqEDFvmYwY?si=RqM3bEC2JVsXwCuX