Test-Bed Telescope 2 joins asteroid protection efforts
06 May 2021
Instrument at ESO s La Silla Observatory will survey fast-moving near-Earth objects.
On the lookout: TBT2
Efforts to identify and monitor near-Earth objects, including asteroids that could pose a risk of impact, have taken a step forward at Chile s La Silla Observatory.
The European Space Agency s Test-Bed Telescope 2 (TBT2), the second of two instruments designed to test hardware and software for a future network of more advanced telescopes, has started operations at the the European Southern Observatory site.
TBT2 features a 56-centimeter glass-ceramic primary mirror, a relatively moderate size allowing the telescope to act as a technology demonstrator for important functions such as robotic real-time control and autonomous data processing.