Jena precision optics conquers space

The very first test image, which the telescope sent back to Earth in March after its launch in December, astonished researchers: Once the 18 mirror segments were correctly aligned, the new space telescope, considered the successor to the Hubble Telescope, which has been in space since 1990, transmitted an image of a spiky star with numerous previously invisible galaxies. This sensational image raises hopes for further spectacular images and thus for answers to questions about how the universe originated and whether there is indeed life in space or habitable planets. A total of four scientific instruments are on board the telescope. Of these, the Mid InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) is equipped with mirrors manufactured at the Fraunhofer IOF in Jena. There, these ultra-precise mirrors were diamond-turned and coated. Diamond turning is a high-performance manufacturing process for producing such planar and curved optical surfaces. But MIRI is not the only instrument that was made ready for the mission with the help of Jena expertise. Researchers from Jena were also involved in the development of the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec). NIRSpec acts as a kind of super-eye for the space telescope and can analyze light in the wavelength range of 0.7 to 5 micrometers. (gro)