Preliminary analysis of ground-to-flight mechanical tolerances of the Ariel mission telescope

Ariel (Atmospheric Remote-Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large Survey) is the adopted M4 mission of ESA Cosmic Vision program. Its purpose is to conduct a survey of the atmospheres of known exoplanets through transit spectroscopy. Launch is scheduled for 2029. Ariel scientific payload consists of an off-axis, unobscured Cassegrain telescope feeding a set of photometers and spectrometers in the waveband between 0.5 and 7.8 mu m, and operating at cryogenic temperatures. The Ariel Telescope consists of a primary parabolic mirror with an elliptical aperture of 1.1 m of major axis, followed by a hyperbolic secondary, a parabolic recollimating tertiary and a flat folding mirror directing the output beam parallel to the optical bench. The secondary mirror is mounted on a roto-translating stage for adjustments during the mission. Proper operation of the instruments prescribes a set of tolerances on the position and orientation of the telescope output beam: this needs to be verified against possible telescope misalignments as part of the ongoing Structural, Thermal, Optical and Performance Analysis. A specific part of this analysis concerns the mechanical misalignments, in terms of rigid body movements of the mirrors, that may arise after ground alignment, and how they can be compensated in flight. The purpose is to derive the mechanical constraints that can be used for the design of the opto-mechanical mounting systems of the mirrors. This paper describes the methodology and preliminary results of this analysis, and discusses future steps.

Automated summary

Ariel is a mission in the ESA Cosmic Vision program that aims to study the atmospheres of exoplanets through infrared transit spectroscopy. This paper describes the analysis of possible misalignments in the telescope and discusses the methodology and preliminary results of compensation for these misalignments. The study provides important insights for the design of optical and mechanical mounting systems for the mirrors.