Polishing and figuring of the GAIA M2, M4 and M5 mirrors

As a successor to HIPPARCOS, the GAIA mission will aim at establishing a very accurate three-dimensional map of the objects of our galaxy and at mapping their motion. The GAIA payload module is developed by EADS Astrium and is built from sintered silicon carbide. It includes in particular two three-mirror anastigmatic telescopes (TMA) and a set of flat folding mirrors. As a subcontractor of EADS Astrium, AMOS is responsible for the polishing and figuring of the secondary mirrors (M2) and of the flat mirrors (M4 and M5).