The 4m class New Robotic Telescope (NRT) is an optical facility designed to revolutionize the rapid follow-up and classification of variable and transient objects. The project is at the stage where key systems are progressing through their detailed design phases, which presents a major engineering challenge for all project partners to manage design progress of the high-level interfacing systems while still ensuring the delivery of top-level science requirements. The freezing of key system architecture features at the preliminary design review in 2021 has allowed significant progress to be made towards a target of Engineering First Light (EFL) in 2027. The project critical path is currently driven by the optics and the enclosure. Both of these components are novel in design: the NRT will have an 18-segment primary mirror and a large, fully-opening clamshell enclosure. Particular progress has been made regarding enclosure design, software & control, science & operations software and the focal station and associated science support instrumentation. The Critical Design Review for the M3 (fold mirror) was completed Q4 2022 which enabled manufacturing of the first NRT glassware to begin and prototyping of the complete opto-mechanical, hardware and software subsystem for its control to take place. The NRT will join the 2m Liverpool Telescope on La Palma, and as such this existing facility has been exploited to prototype the new science operations user interface and the NRT wavefront sensor.
The New Robotic Telescope (NRT) is an autonomous telescope that can operate multiple instruments at the Cassegrain focal station and the straight-through port. The optical beam is directed to the ports by a fold mirror subsystem in the focal station assembly. The fold mirror is elliptical in shape, manufactured by Instituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), and polished down to RMS surface deformation of λ/20. An optomechanical analysis is performed to simulate the effect of gravity over the mirror surface deformation and the results have been compared to the interferometry plots to optimize the Ion Beam Figuring (IBF) process to polish the mirror aperture. The mirror assembly is supported by a bipod flexure design to reduce surface deformation under gravity and thermal loads. There are three sets of bipod elements and a central support in the quasi-kinematic support structure. Using wire EDM, the bipods were manufactured precisely as one piece. Following careful preparation and the development of multiple glue jigs to ensure an even glue thickness, the bipods, and central pads are glued to the mirror, and multiple experimental tests have been performed to ensure the glue layer's strength and durability. Other components of the mirror assembly, such as the mirror cell, mirror stand, and moving platform, are being machined out of INVAR, assembled, and mounted on the linear stage and a rotary stage before being installed over the mechanism platform in the A&G box. The design and manufacturing of the mirror assembly, including the gluing process, will be summarised as part of this article.
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