In a significant development for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) International Observatory (TIO), Glen Cole, former lead optical fabrication engineer at TIO, recently visited the India-TMT Optics Fabrication Facility (ITOFF) in Bengaluru, India.
Today, the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) International Observatory (TIO) announces the completion of its 100th mirror segment. Ultimately, TIO will mosaic 492 of these segments to form an extremely large mirror 30 meters in diameter. This mirror will be the core component of the largest optical telescope in the Northern Hemisphere.
The TMT Laser Guide Star Facility has successfully completed its Preliminary Design Review and is advancing to the Final Design Phase. The review was held on 8–9 November 2023 at the TMT International Observatory Project Office and was conducted by a panel consisting of external and internal experts.
Coherent installs an advanced ultrasonic machine tool to speed hexing of the 1.5 m diameter Thirty Meter Telescope mirror segments.
TMT’s Optics and M1 Segment Support Assemblies (SSA) is ready to enter production following a successful Fabrication Readiness Review that assessed the production of the hardware required to support the primary mirror segments. Larsen and Toubro (L&T), which is supplying the SSAs, is now one step closer to start production and shall proceed with the procurement of raw material.
TMT’s telescope structure subsystem (STR) recently completed two successful Production Readiness Reviews (PRR2 and PRR3) to assess the availability of adequate resources and planning for production, and later for assembly, integration and verification. The STR’s design and future fabrication are activities led by NAOJ and their prime contractor Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) in Japan.
A few months ago, TMT Optical engineers traveled to the Netherlands to support the Dutch company TNO install a TMT Segment Support Assembly (SSA) onto an SSA Module Acceptance Test Tool (SMATT). This is an important step in the design and construction of the M1 optics system, a 492-segment primary mirror for the TMT.
The teams working on TMT’s Segment Handling System (SHS) and utility system design received some good news following a series of critical review meetings earlier this spring. The TMT Telescope Structure Subsystem (STR) and Summit Facility (SUM) groups conducted the reviews and based on the outcome, the teams mays now proceed independently with the final design of their systems toward production preparation.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) today issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and to initiate Section 106 consultation for a potential NSF investment in the construction and operation of the Thirty Meter Telescope.
The successful production of TMT polished glass-ceramic (M1 roundels) is ramping up according to plan.
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