Edinburgh’s historic observatory is to benefit from £10 million of investment as part of a far-reaching project to measure ripples in the fabric of spacetime.
New lab spaces will be constructed at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC), which is based at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh on Blackford Hill. The laboratory, funded by the UK government’s investments in the European Space Agency (ESA), will be used to assemble the optical benches for the groundbreaking laser interferometer space antenna (Lisa) mission.
To meet project deadlines, ESA is supporting the construction of the new lab and clean rooms at the Science and Technology Facility Council’s site at the Royal Observatory. The £10m contract will double UK ATC’s construction capabilities, and build on existing support from the UK Space Agency and its membership of ESA.
Lisa is ESA’s latest flagship project and will be the first ever gravitational wave observatory in space. The optical benches are a crucial component of this complex mission to measure ripples in the fabric of spacetime. They send and receive laser beams over a 2.5-million kilometre distance between Lisa’s three spacecraft, enabling measurement of distance changes between them with an accuracy of a few picometres (trillionths of a metre).
Work has already begun on the optical benches at the ATC. The assembly process utilises robotically assisted bonding, developed by the tech centre and the University of Glasgow and funded by the UK Space Agency. Considering the exactitude required, assembling the optical benches is an incredibly complex and meticulous job. Constructing the ten required, including prototypes and spares, will take about eight years.
All three satellites will launch on the same rocket. During their 18-month voyage to their new home, some 60-70 million kilometres from Earth, the spacecraft will diverge until they reach their final positions forming an equilateral triangle 2.5 million kilometres from each other.
Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “With major contributions to the James Webb Space Telescope and this new investment in Lisa, Scotland is at the heart of two of humanity’s most important and innovative space science missions. The scale of the engineering challenge associated with Lisa is staggering – it is a flagship mission for Europe and it will be made possible by expertise in Edinburgh and Glasgow.”
Ewan Fitzsimons, UK principal investigator for Lisa at UK ATC, said: “This investment in labs and staff will enable us to meet the exacting standards required for this groundbreaking project. It not only enhances our technical capabilities but also underscores the critical role of precision engineering in complex space missions such as Lisa.”
Filippo Marliani, ESA’s Lisa project manager, said: “Lisa, an ESA-led mission with contributions from ESA member states and Nasa, will be the first space observatory for gravitational waves, revolutionising astrophysics and space exploration. The UK Astronomy Technology Centre, in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, contribute to this unique mission with ultra-precision optical benches that sit at the heart of the three Lisa spacecraft.
“A new integration facility will boost production, ensuring timely completion of the spacecraft. I very much look forward to working with the UK team.”
Source: The Scotsman