Manufactured in Germany, this 2.5-meter-wide bench, weighing nearly 400 kg and designed at LIRA (Laboratory of Instrumentation and Research in Astrophysics), serves as the support structure for the instrument’s adaptive optics module.
Its installation required a delicate operation: the assembly, weighing over three tons including its transport crate and dolly, was lifted by crane over the site’s historic buildings before being moved into the integration room after a 90-degree rotation.
The operation involved teams from LIRA, [UNIDIA (Unit for Instrumental Engineering and Development in Astrophysics) –https://unidia.observatoiredeparis.psl.eu/], the shared services of the Paris Observatory – PSL, and the CNRS’s ULISSE logistics unit, with support from GT Logistics and MS Levage. The test bench was manufactured by CarbonVision, while the transport case was built by E3Cortex and the dolly by MGTL.
A system essential for image quality
The bench will support the subsystems of the adaptive optics module of MICADO. This technology corrects the effects of atmospheric turbulence in real time, significantly improving the quality of images taken from the ground.
Thanks to this system, MICADO will be able to fully harness the power of the ELT and achieve exceptional image resolution, particularly for observing exoplanets or the earliest galaxies in the Universe.
The bench will remain in Meudon until 2028 for a phase of integration and performance validation before being shipped to Germany for final assembly of the instrument.
Meudon, a European hub for astrophysical instrumentation
France’s contribution to the MICADO project focuses on the adaptive optics module and its high-contrast mode, designed for exoplanet imaging. These developments are being carried out under the leadership of LIRA, with the participation of the UNIDIA, THETA, LMA, and LCF laboratories of the INSU Technical Division and the INSU’s EFISOFT unit.
Hosting this integration phase in Meudon highlights the campus’s role as a major engineering and testing site for next-generation astrophysical instruments, at the heart of large-scale international projects.
The MICADO project, launched in 2008, is expected to conduct its first scientific observations in 2030.
This phase was made possible thanks to funding from the Île-de-France Region’s DIM ORIGINES initiative, the F-CELT project under the Investments for the Future Program, the CNRS/INSU, the Paris Observatory – PSL, and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).