e2v to create imager for Russian Academy of Sciences UV space telescope

Chelmsford, England--Keith Attwood, CEO of e2v and Vladimir Nevolin, deputy director of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LPI RAS; Moscow, Russia) signed a contract for the first phase of a multimillion pound project at the MAKS International Aviation and Space Show (Aug. 27 to Sept. 1, 2013; Zhukovsky, Russia). The contract is for the supply of a high-performance imaging subsystem for three UV spectrographs onboard the World Space Observatory-Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) space telescope, to be launched in 2016.

The WSO-UV is an international collaboration led by Russia to build and operate a space telescope with a 1.7 m primary mirror. It will work in the UV range of the spectrum and will study the Universe at wavelengths shorter than the reach of ground-based instruments. The optics of the observatory -- the telescope, equipped with high and low resolution spectrographs -- will be made in Russia, while e2v will supply UV cameras for spectrographs. The Institute of Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences (INASAN) is the science contractor for the mission and will work with LPI RAS.

e2v’s back-thinned CCD image sensors will be configured and tested for optimum quantum efficiency (QE) in the 120 to 310 nm wavelength range -- a range considerably lower than the typical 270 nm test limit. e2v will also design a vacuum cryostat enclosure to ensure stable operation at short wavelengths. e2v is working with Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) Space’s Imaging Systems (Didcot, England) for the supply of the space-qualified CCD drive electronics.

Another feature of the subsystem is the ability to integrate for up to an hour and read out low signal levels with very low noise. This is achieved using an e2v image sensor, video-processing electronics from RAL, and the low-temperature operation (-100 °C) provided by the cryostat.