Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Project gets Help from PI Hexapod Alignment Systems
Summary
6-axis nanopositioning system assembly provides the ultra high precision required to mount and align optical components to be launched into space, new from PI. LISA is a space-based gravitational wave observatory, that will detect cosmic undulations from black holes with much greater resolution than the much smaller earth-bound systems are capable of. ESA, NASA, and PI Hexapods – Working Together, Again During the assembly of the ultra-precision optical components at the heart of the LISA project expected to launch in 2035, UKATC engineers employ precise control in 6 degrees of freedom with PIs compact H-824 hexapod (Stewart Platform). Hexapods, with their programmable center of rotation (pivot point), are the gold standard when it comes to precise multi-axis alignment tasks, from nanometer sized structures in silicon photonics / fiber optics to big mirrors and reflectors in astronomy. The great flexibility allows the hexapod user to adapt their 6-axis motion system to any alignment application quickly without retooling.