Materion partners with Rubin Observatory

Materion partners with Rubin Observatory to give astronomers a deeper and wider view of the universe

MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Materion Corporation (NYSE:MTRN) continues to build on its 50-year legacy of supporting space exploration and observation by partnering with The Vera C. Rubin Observatory on a first-of-its-kind custom optical filter set to be used on the Legacy Survey of Space and Time Telescope (LSST) currently under construction in Chile.

The LSST Camera’s six curved filters, which range from Ultraviolet to near-Infrared in the electromagnetic spectrum, are the largest precision optical filters of their kind in the world, measuring about 30 inches (76 cm) and weighing approximately 90 pounds (41kg). Achieving leading edge optical performance with the correct materials and in the necessary form factor is considered key enabling technology for the broadband spectral mapping planned by the Rubin Observatory team.

Materion’s deep advanced materials knowledge and powerful technical insights enabled the design and fabrication of custom hardware and software infrastructure to support optical metrology, data capture and analysis, and the vacuum coating technology.

“We are excited and very proud to support the Rubin Observatory project, which is unique from other ground-based telescopes in that it provides an exceptionally wide field of view and has the ability to survey the entire visible sky in just 72 hours,” said Dr. Ian Tribick, President of Materion Precision Optics. “Our large area optic solutions can be found on many ground-based astronomical instruments, including The Gemini Observatory, The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), Keck Observatory, The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and The University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy’s Pan-Starrs telescope.”

Materion has supported U.S. and international space observation, exploration and aerospace missions since the early 1960s. The Company’s recent acquisition of Optics Balzers compliments and further extends that proud history through the LSST project as well as NASA’s recent Perseverance mission to Mars, and provides the combined organizations with even more future mission support opportunities.