Tapio Korhonen

TL;DR: The Silicon Pore Optics technology (SPO) as mentioned in this paper is a state-of-the-art X-ray optics technology for large-scale space missions. But it is not suitable for the Athena mission, which requires around 700 mirror modules, accurately aligned to produce a common focus.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a comprehensive technology development plan for the Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics (ATHENA) mission, which is based on the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) technology.

TL;DR: The ATHENA (Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics) mission studies and technology preparation are continuing to progress as discussed by the authors, and the optics for this future space observatory is based on the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO), and is being evolved in a joint effort by industry, research institutions and ESA.

TL;DR: In this article, a parabolic M1mirror of silicon carbide (SiC) with large diameter of 35 m, fast focal ratio of f/05 and extreme light-weighting to 25 kg/m 2, which makes the polishing of the mirror a very challenging task.

TL;DR: In this article, a dedicated vertical optical bench is designed for the integration of the ATHENA optics, which can be used to assist robot-assisted alignment of the mirror modules.