Mersen: 21st SiC-based telescope into space

With Pléiades Neo, Mersen sends its 21st SiC-based telescope into space

Paris, April 26, 2021 - Mersen (Euronext FR0000039620 – MRN), a global expert in electrical power and advanced materials, has announced its contribution to Airbus Defence and Space’s Pléiades Neo satellite constellation project, set to launch on April 28, 2021.

Developed by Airbus Defence and Space, Pléiades Neo is a constellation of four very high-resolution (VHR) earth observation satellites, each containing a 30 cm resolution silicon carbide imaging device with covering 2 million square kilometers per day. Designed for commercial use, the Pléiades Neo satellite constellation is set to boost observation performance and reactivity and will complement the imagery capabilities of military applications in space.

Mersen is supplying the silicon carbide (SiC) components of the optical instruments for each of the four observation satellites, including structures, mirrors and detector supports. SiC is a lightweight, robust, stable ceramic that is insensitive to temperature fluctuations, and is a highly sought-after choice for telescopes due to its unrivaled thermo‑elastic stability, enabling very high-resolution images to be captured with exceptional precision.

Luc Themelin, Chief Executive Officer of Mersen, said: “I would like to thank Airbus Defence and Space for their enduring trust over more than 20 years. I would also like to congratulate the teams at Mersen Boostec, whose unrivaled expertise has once again been recognized, and who have demonstrated remarkable agility in meeting a particularity demanding schedule.”

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About Mersen

Mersen is a global expert in electrical specialties and advanced materials for high-tech industries. With more than 50 industrial sites and 16 R&D centers in 35 countries around the world, Mersen develops custom-built solutions and delivers key products to its clients in order to meet the new technological challenges shaping tomorrow’s world.
For over 130 years, Mersen has focused tirelessly on innovation to accompany its clients and meet their needs. Be it in wind power, solar power, electronics, electric vehicles, aeronautics, space or countless other sectors, wherever technology is progressing, you will always find a bit of Mersen.

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