Tmt comp background

The Observatory

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See TIO Test its Mirror Segment Support System

November 27th, 2024

Timelapse videos of the testing of the segment support assembly.

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Keeping TMT Cool

November 7th, 2024

TIO passed the final design review of systems designed to cool the telescope and instruments during operations.

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Alignment and Phasing System Achieves Major Milestone: Advancing to Final Design Phase

September 23rd, 2024

The Alignment and Phasing System (APS) team has progressed to the Final Design stage after successfully completing the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the APS Optical Bench and Instrument...

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TMT Primary Mirror Segment Control System PDR Successfully Completed

August 23rd, 2024

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) International Observatory (TIO) successfully completed a design review for a critical component of the primary mirror segment control system.

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Successful Preliminary Design Review of TMT's Secondary Mirror Support System and Positioner Assembly

August 12th, 2024

The TIO Secondary Mirror Support System and Positioner Assembly team successfully completed its Preliminary Design Review on 2024 July 15–17.

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Coherent's role in creating the 100th polished TMT mirror segment

July 25th, 2024

Coherent announced completion of the 100th polished TMT mirror segment.

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ITCC Delivers Production Components to TMT

June 13th, 2024

The TIO Monrovia Lab has recently received significant shipments of 140 warping harness cables and eight segment actuators from India TMT Coordination Center (ITCC).

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TIO Kicks Off the Preliminary Design Contract for the Tertiary Mirror Support System and Positioner Assembly

April 30th, 2024

Recently, Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS) in Belgium and TIO conducted a remote kick-off meeting for the preliminary design of the Tertiary Mirror Support System and Positioner...

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Successful Collaboration with New TMT Polishing Facility in Bengaluru India

March 14th, 2024

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...

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TMT International Observatory Produces its 100th Polished Mirror

March 5th, 2024

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...

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TMT Laser Guide Star Facility Proceeds to Final Design Phase

December 6th, 2023

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...

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AMOS Contracted by TMT International Observatory to Design and Build Secondary Mirror Support System and Positioner

November 22nd, 2023

The TMT International Observatory (TIO) contracted AMOS to design and manufacture the secondary mirror support system and positioner (M2SSP) of the future extremely large Thirty Meter Telescope...

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TMT Secondary Mirror Support System and Positioner Assembly Kick-Off Meeting

November 16th, 2023

A kickoff meeting was recently held for the TMT Secondary Mirror Support System and Positioner Assembly (M2SSP), a critical subsystem of the TMT Observatory. Responsible for safely supporting and...

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Faster Processing for TMT's Precision Mirrors

September 1st, 2023

Coherent installs an advanced ultrasonic machine tool to speed hexing of the 1.5 m diameter Thirty Meter Telescope mirror segments.

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TMT Monrovia Lab Visit

August 22nd, 2023

On 18 July 2023, Sergio Salata, Astronomy Project Manager of Added Value Solutions (AVS) in Tenerife, visited the TMT office to tell us about the astronomy projects and other science equipment...

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Dust Boot Design for TMT’s Primary Mirror Moves Into Final Design Stage

July 17th, 2023

An important component of TMT’s Primary Mirror Control Sensing System and the Alignment and Phasing System is progressing to its final design and qualification stage: the sensor dust boots.

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Progress in India-TMT Optics Fabrication Facility Commissioning

July 4th, 2023

Exciting news out of India: TMT’s Primary Mirror Segment Polishing and Metrology Equipment have been successfully installed in the India-TMT Optics Fabrication Facility. The Stress Mirror Polishing...

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A View of the Universe: TNO Contributes to TMT Success

February 15th, 2023

TNO, an independent research organization for a safer, healthier, and more sustainable life, wrote a story in their newsletter about the SMATT system they are building for TMT.

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Updates for TMT Telescope Structure and Utility Services

October 12th, 2022

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...

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HHV bags prestigious contract from Physical Research Laboratory

March 30th, 2022

HHV was short-listed by the TMT International Observatory (TIO), and India TMT Co-ordination Committee (ITCC) to develop the conceptual design of the coater for secondary and tertiary mirrors of...

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Update on TMT High Quality Optics Polishing at Coherent

January 19th, 2022

The fabrication of TMT’s primary mirror segments at Coherent Inc. in California continues to progress well. To date, a total of 19 M1 polished roundels have been delivered to TMT’s secure warehouse...

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Production of the TMT M1 mirrors ramps up at Coherent Inc.

September 8th, 2021

The successful production of TMT polished glass-ceramic (M1 roundels) is ramping up according to plan.

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Hexing Glass for TMT

July 22nd, 2021

Last month, I talked with the India-TMT Optics team and one of their industrial partners, Optica. We discussed their work for TMT’s primary mirror, for which India is providing 84 of the 492...

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TMT Laser Guide Star Facility Passes Design Milestone

June 3rd, 2021

The TMT Laser Guide Star Facility (LGSF) has successfully completed the first phase of its Preliminary Design Review (PDR1). The LGSF will be responsible for generating artificial laser guide stars...

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Cooling TMT's Adaptive Optics System

June 2nd, 2021

In a previous set of blog entries, we discussed the principle of adaptive optics, which TMT will use to remove the effects of turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere. TMT's first light adaptive optics...

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TMT’s Telescope Structure progresses to Production Readiness

May 13th, 2021

A virtual meeting was conducted on April 5, 2021 between representatives of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ, TMT Japanese Partner Institution) and the TMT Project Office...

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Progress made on TMT mirror production

April 29th, 2021

TIO recently celebrated the completion of another eight newly polished roundels produced for the TMT primary mirror by Canon in Japan. The TIO and NAOJ teams responsible for the mirror polishing...

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First M1 Roundels Produced by Coherent for TMT Successfully Shipped to Storage Facility in California

April 19th, 2021

TMT and Coherent reached a new milestone this month with the completion of the first two roundels for TMT’s Primary Mirror (M1). Coherent precisely contoured and polished the optical surfaces of...

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TMT Mirror Segment Shipping Container Design and Prototypes Completed through Collaborative Effort with Larson Packaging Company

March 8th, 2021

TMT, in partnership with Larson Packaging Company, recently celebrated the successful design and completion of TMT’s Primary Mirror Assembly Shipping Container (PMASC). The shipping container will...

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TMT Selects Coherent for Hexagonal Cutting of Mirror Segments

February 3rd, 2021

A major milestone for the international Thirty Meter Telescope project (TMT) was reached in October 2020, as TMT selected California-based Coherent, Inc. for the Hexagonal cutting of the US...

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Approval of the first Production Roundel for Thirty Meter Telescope’s Primary Mirror

February 1st, 2021

The Thirty Meter Telescope Optics Group recently reached a critical production milestone, with the approval of the first polished roundel (# SN023) for TMT’s Primary Mirror (M1). Teams at TIO,...

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Inauguration of the ITOFF facility, CREST Campus, IIA, India

January 20th, 2021

The newly built India-TMT Optics Fabrication Facility (ITOFF) was recently inaugurated by Vice President of India Shri. Venkaiah Naidu at the Center for Research and Education in Science &...

There are currently no announcements.