Precision optics to make plant health visible from space
When the ESA Earth observation mission FLEX launches into space on September 15, 2026, as scheduled, it will carry high-precision optical components from Jena, Germany. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF have developed and manufactured a silicon-based double-slit assembly as well as two high-precision mirrors for the spectrometer on board the…
The European Space Agency's FLEX mission, set to launch on September 15, 2026, will utilize sophisticated optical components manufactured by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF. These components include a high-precision silicon-based double-slit assembly and two mirrors for the spectrometer on the satellite.
The spectrometer, known as FLORIS, will detect the weak fluorescence emissions from plants excited by sunlight, providing insights into their photosynthetic activity, health, and stress levels. The dual-slit assembly is crucial for achieving both high spectral resolution and a broad spectral coverage, allowing the FLORIS spectrometer to analyze these faint signals reliably.
Each slit in the assembly is precisely 85 micrometers wide, with a tolerance of just 1 micrometer, while the flatness of the slits must be less than 10 micrometers. The mirrors within the assembly have an even more stringent requirement, with a roughness of just 0.3 nanometers rms. These precise optical components are essential for FLEX's mission to map global plant fluorescence, which can indicate plant function and stress, and support monitoring of ecosystems, agriculture, and forests.
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