The 3.5m all SiC telescope for Herschel

Placed on the L2 Lagrangian point, Herschel operates in the spectral range between 80 and 670 μm wavelength and is devoted to astronomical investigations in the far-infrared, sub-millimetre and millimetre wavelengths. The Herschel Telescope is an "all Silicon Carbide" Telescope, based on a 3.5-m-diameter Cassegrain design. The driving requirements are the large diameter (3.5 m), the WFE to be kept below 6μrms despite the operational temperature (70K), and finally the mass to be kept below 300kg. The size of the Telescope has put some challenges in the manufacturing and the tests facilities installations. At this stage, the major critical phase which is the brazing of the primary mirror has successfully been passed. The development and manufacturing of the Herschel Telescope is part of the Herschel Planck program funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).