Part of the optical ground support equipment (OGSE) for the GRACE-FO mission – a reference plate for measuring the co-alignment of the triple-mirror assembly
Optical assembly as part of the Optical Ground Support Equipment (OGSE) for verifying the Laser Ranging Instrument of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Follow-On Mission. Here, using the highly stable reference plate, the thermal and mechanical properties of the so-called triple-mirror assembly are being verified at SpaceTech GmbH.
Test facility for highly accurate thermal characterisation of ultra-stable materials
Setup for measuring the thermal expansion coefficient, which enables the thermal characterisation of highly stable materials within a temperature range from approximately -120 °C to 80 °C.
The large-scale Laser Ranging and Metrology Test Facility (LRMT) at the DLR-Institute of Quantum Technologies provides the necessary infrastructure for the verification of high-resolution laser ranging instruments which are used for distance and angle measurements between satellites during formation and constellation flights. The facility has been successfully used for the on-site verification and testing of the laser metrology systems of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission.
The LRMT comprises high-precision optical measurement technology for verifying the setups that are used for laser-based measurement of distances between satellites (laser interferometry, setups for simulating the laser beams from distant satellites) as well as a test stand with which the thermal and mechanical characteristics of highly stable materials can be verified for use. The thermal expansion coefficient of tubular samples can be determined with very high accuracy (in the 10 ppb range) within an ambient temperature range of approximately -120 °C to 80 °C.
Furthermore, the LRMT infrastructure includes high-precision optical frequency references, on the one hand as a laser source for highly sensitive laser interferometry, and on the other hand as a reference for verifying other laser sources.
Contact
Volker Speelmann
Head of Research Infrastructures
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Executive Board department for Innovation, Transfer and Research Infrastructure
