Contraves Space Ag

Oerlikon Space Ag

Andreas Herren

Saverio Sanvido

Edgar Fischer

Peter Adolph

Benno Niedermann

Christian Meisinger

Stève Mérillat

Stéve Mérillat

Apparatus with an optical bench and at least one optical element, which is attached on the optical bench, whereby the optical bench comprises a layer structure with an extruded honeycomb plate from light alloy, paper or char-fiber-reinforced plastic. A first cover layer is glued to the honeycomb plate and comprises a first glass-like plate, which is surface-treated on that side which faces away from the honeycomb plate. A second cover layer glued to the lower surface of the light alloy honeycomb plate and comprises a second glass-like plate. The optical bench has suspensions, which glued to one or more parts of the layer structure for force introduction into the layer structure. The optical element is fixed by cold welding or glueing on the surface-treated side of the first glass-like plate.

Highly stable and very light optical bench and extra terrestric use of such an optical bench

An optical unit ( ) comprising a plurality of optical elements, a receiving structure ( ) with a plurality of element supports ( ) for receiving the optical elements. The element supports ( ) are in the form of a plate or shell or tube, whose dimensions are greater than the dimensions of the optical elements to be received, and is connected to another element support. At least one element support ( ) comprises temperature elements ( ) that can be heated and/or cooled. The optical unit ( ) furthermore comprises a control unit for driving the temperature elements ( ) in order to locally change the temperature of the at least one element support ( ) so as to influence in a controlled manner the shape of the at least one element support ( ).

Optical unit and its use

A device for the directional transmission and the directional reception of modulated light waves between geostationary satellites, or respectively geostationary satellites still close to earth, which have been constructed in a particularly weight-saving manner.

Device for the directional transmission and the directional reception of modulated light waves

Growing community of inventors

Wagenhausen, Switzerland

Andreas Herren