Space center of Liege

History

The CSL emanates from the space group of the Institut of Astrophysics of the University of Liege. This group, made up in the middle of the Years 1960, started its activities by observations of polar lights by probe rockets. A score of payloads were thus launched, primarily since the base of Kiruna in Sweden. Later on, in 1972, the space group produced the instrument of cartography of the sky in the ultra-violet since the European satellite TD1. This cartography led to catalogs containing of information news on more than 30.000 hot stars. CSL studied and constructed the prototypes of certain detectors of Hubble Space Telescope. In the beginning of the year 1980, CSL takes part in the development of the camera “Halley Multicolor Camera” which, embarked on board the Giotto probe, will photograph the core of Halley's Comet in 1986. Since 1988, CSL is project superintendent of the instrument “Extreme Imaging Ultra-violet Telescopes” launched on the satellite NASA/ESA SOHO in 1995 and which photographs the solar crown. CSL also contributed, actively, with the following projects:

XMM/Newton through the development of the “Optical Monitor”,
INTEGRAL by optics and the mechanics of the “Optical Monitor Camera”,
IMAGE (medium to explore NASA) by the realization of optomecanic of a spectrometer imagor in ultra-violet.

Activities

Space instrumentation

Since the beginning of the years 2000, CSL takes part in the development of various instruments, for example:

PACS which will be launched on board the Herschel satellite of the ESA;
a imagor heliospheric for mission SECCHI/STEREO of NASA;
several parts of French satellite COROT;
several important components of instrument MIRI, for the space telescope James Web Space Telescopes;
the whole of the telescope SWAP for the observation of the sun starting from minisatellite PROBA2.

Space testing facility

Parallel to these linked activities with the development of scientific instruments, the Space center of Liege became one of the four testing facilities of the European space agency (ESA) and is specialized in the performance evaluation of the payloads of satellites, concerned with the astrophysical observation as well as geophysical. Vacuum optical tables, in high level rooms of cleanliness, make it possible to qualify the behavior of the instruments subjected to a reconstituted space environment. Tests can be carried out since temperatures of -270°C until +120°C with an interferometric stability. The vacuum chambers comprising the benches of optics go from 1 m ³ to 200 m ³ in volume. Many space experiments were thus tested with the CSL, since METEOSAT to the Planck satellite, while passing by the instruments of HIPPARCOS and XMM/Newton.

The installations of the CSL thus make it possible to implement environmental tests in space environment but also of the mechanical tests on vibratory machines intended to certify the behavior of the equipment during launchings. These vibratory tests can also be realized in cryogenic conditions, which is necessary for the equipment of the infra-red missions which are cooled before launching (ISO, Herschel).

The CSL has equipment to measure state of the molecular and particulate cleanliness.

Technological developments

Center excellence in optics, the CSL obtained equipment of point and specialized in several technological activities for terrestrial and space applications. For example:

polishing of surfaces per beam of ions;
structuring of surface (controlled microrugosity) per ionic beam;
thin deposits of layers and coatings;
of microfabrication of optical elements (hybrid networks, microprisms, optics,…);
developments in the field of the photovoltaic energy, of which the development of concentrators for solar panels, space and terrestrial applications;
development of sensors for the control of integrity (health monitoring).

External bonds

Official site
University of Liege

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