OHB SE
OHB SE: MT Mechatronics signs contract for Giant Magellan Telescope structure
DGAP-News: OHB SE
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October 30, 2019 – PASADENA, Calif. – GMTO Corporation, the organization managing the development of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) on behalf of its U.S. and international founders, has signed a contract with MT Mechatronics (a subsidiary of the listed company OHB SE) and Ingersoll Machine Tools to design, build and install the telescope’s precision steel structure. The GMT is a 24.5-meter (80-ft) diameter next-generation giant optical-infrared observatory that will explore the frontiers of astronomy, including seeking to answer one of humanity’s most pressing questions: “Are we alone?” The GMT will study the atmospheres of planets orbiting stars far from our solar system to search for signs of biochemistry. MT Mechatronics of Mainz, Germany, and Rockford, Illinois-based Ingersoll Machine Tools, part of the Italian Camozzi Group, will design and manufacture the 1,800-ton precision mechanism, known as the “telescope structure” that will hold the GMT’s optics and smoothly track celestial targets as they move across the sky. The telescope structure will be designed by MT Mechatronics and manufactured, assembled and tested by Ingersoll before being shipped to, and installed at, the GMT observatory site high in the remote Chilean Andes. The total value of the telescope structure contract is EUR 123 million, the share of MT Mechatronics included therein amounts to EUR 60 million. The telescope structure will hold the GMT’s seven giant mirrors in place as they bring light from distant stars and galaxies to a focus so it can be analyzed by scientific instruments mounted deep inside the telescope. The mirrors, the largest in the world, are made at the University of Arizona’s Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab. When in operation, the telescope structure, complete with mirrors and instruments, will weigh 2,100 tons but will float on a film of oil just 50 microns (2 one-thousandths of an inch) thick – allowing it to move essentially without friction as it compensates for Earth’s rotation, tracking celestial bodies in their arc across the sky. With its unique design, the GMT will produce images that are 10 times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope in the infrared region of the spectrum. “Being a part of an endeavor with objectives as distinguished as the Giant Magellan Telescope’s is compelling for MT Mechatronics and we’re eager to support the GMT on its quest to answer the deepest questions in astronomy,” said Thomas Zimmerer, Senior Vice President, Business Development Sales & Marketing, Product Development, MT Mechatronics. “We look forward to collaborating with GMTO over the next decade to bring the telescope’s massive structure to fruition.” About the Giant Magellan Telescope About MT Mechatronics Contact: Investor Relations Martina Lilienthal Tel.: +49 421 – 2020-720 Fax: +49 421 – 2020-613 E-Mail: martina.lilienthal@ohb.de Corporate Communications Günther Hörbst Tel.: +49 421 – 2020-9438 E-Mail: guenther.hoerbst@ohb.de
30.10.2019 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP – a service of EQS Group AG. |
Language: | English |
Company: | OHB SE |
Manfred-Fuchs-Platz 2-4 | |
28359 Bremen | |
Germany | |
Phone: | +49 (0)421 2020 8 |
Fax: | +49 (0)421 2020 613 |
E-mail: | ir@ohb.de |
Internet: | www.ohb.de |
ISIN: | DE0005936124 |
WKN: | 593612 |
Listed: | Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange |
EQS News ID: | 899463 |
End of News | DGAP News Service |