Picometre metrology in space

Electronics Mechanics
Mikroniek 3 2008 by Ellart Meijer and Fred Kamphues 30 December 2008

The Gaia mission will create an ultra-precise three-dimensional map of about one billion stars in our Galaxy. Part of ESA’s Cosmic Vision program, the Gaia spacecraft is being built by EADS Astrium and is scheduled for launch in 2011. TNO is developing a picometre metrology system– the Basic Angle Monitoring Opto-Mechanical Assembly (BAM OMA) – for this mission.

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