NASA, ESA and Jena-Optronik: A space cooperation for exploring the cosmos

 Jena-Optronik has received a contract to supply star sensors as part of the international "Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope" project.

 

How common is a solar system like our own? What types of planets exist in the cold, outer regions of planetary systems?

 

The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope will assist us in answering these questions about our place in the universe, whilst above all exploring the distribution of galaxies in the universe. The infrared space telescope will operate for a minimum five-year mission. The launch of the scientific mission, led by the American space agency NASA and supported by the European Space Agency ESA, is planned for the mid-2020s.

 

To honor NASA space pioneer Nancy Grace Roman's essential role in the planning of the famous Hubble Space Telescope, the name of the mission has been changed from WFIRST (Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope) to the Roman Space Telescope.

 

An important factor in the success of the Roman Space Telescope mission is the performance of the star sensors in space. For this purpose, the Thuringian space company Jena-Optronik is supplying three ASTRO APS star sensors and a test system comprising of an Optical Sky Stimulator and a Unit Tester. The test system serves to verify the function of the star sensors whilst still on Earth, under realistic operating conditions as they prevail in space.

 

The star sensors from Jena meet the high accuracy and reliability requirements that this scientific mission demands. Furthermore, Jena-Optronik's many years of space experience was a selection criterion for participation in the mission. Jena-Optronik has already been able to demonstrate excellent quality and technical competence in earlier projects with ESA and NASA.

 

"We are proud to support NASA and ESA on this prestigious mission. The quality and performance of our products was once again the major reason why the space agencies decided to use the reliable star sensors from Jena-Optronik. We are looking forward to this collaboration," says Dr. Reinhard Berger, head of programs and projects at the space company based in Thuringia.

 

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