In the Chilean desert, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is currently building the largest telescope in the world - the ELT. It consists of five mirrors, with the main mirror having a diameter of 39 meters. The smallest mirror, the M5, is designed to compensate for aberrations and guarantee high image quality, thanks in part to eleven PICA stack actuators from PI Ceramic.
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ELT: A Spectacular Eye on the Sky
PICA Stack Actuators from PI for Precise and Reliable Image Stabilization in the World’s Largest Telescope

Fast Steering Mirrors for Deep Space / Free Space Optical Communication
High Precision Tip/Tilt Mechanisms Direct and Keep Laser Beams Precisely on Target
· PI (Physik Instrumente) LP
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Adaptive Optics – the Next Generation. 11,000 Actuators to Aid Search for Exoplanets with the E-ELT
PI and Fraunhofer IOF Cooperate on New Large Scale Adaptive Optics Project
· PI (Physik Instrumente) LP
Adaptive Optics with High Resolution Piezo Actuators for the Extremely Large Telescope
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Nano-Positioning Systems for Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
· PI (Physik Instrumente) LP
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Precision Motion and Positioning Equipment on Mars Rover Curiosity – Still Going Strong
· PI (Physik Instrumente) LP
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Hexapods Position ALMA Subreflectors and Compensate External Conditions
High-Precision ALMA Antennas are Decisive for the Success of the EHT
Sensation in astronomy: The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a worldwide network of eight radio telescopes, took the very first image of a black hole, which was published on April 10, 2019. Hexapods developed by PI play an important role in the ALMA telescopes on the Chilean plateau, which are part of the EHT.
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50 Hexapod 6-DOF Alignment Systems for the Sub-Reflectors of ALMA, the Largest Telescope Project in the World
· PI (Physik Instrumente) LP
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Ultra-High Precision Positioning Actuators to Align Mirror Segments in the ELT Telescope
Hybrid Concept Using Piezo / Voice Coil and Screw Drives for the ELT Telescope
· PI (Physik Instrumente) LP
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