Electromagnetic deformable mirror for space applications

To increase the collecting power and to improve the angular imaging resolution, space telescopes are evolving towards larger primary mirrors. The aerial density of the telescope mirrors needs to be kept low, however, to be compatible with the launch requirements. A light-weight (primary) mirror will introduce additional optical aberrations to the system. These may be caused by for instance manufacturing errors, gravity release and thermo-elastic effects. Active Optics (AO) is a key candidate technology to correct for the resultant wave front aberrations [1].