The INAF Optical Payload System (OPSys) facility is a laboratory fitted and equipped for:

  • Hosting integration activities of space/ground based optical instruments with stringent cleanliness requirements.
  • Testing and characterizing the performance of high-sensitivity optical instrumentations.

The Aerospace Logistics Technology Engineering Company (ALTEC SpA) hosts in Turin (Italy) the OPSys facility, developed by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) initially funded by the Piedmont Region and further upgraded up to the actual complete configuration under an ASI contract aimed at the assembly and calibration of the Solar Orbiter/Metis solar coronagraph. The OPSys facility has hosted the calibration activities of several solar coronagraphs, such as the ESA ASPIICS of the ESA formation-flying mission PROBA-3, CODEX of NASA for the International Space Station and CorMag for the stratospheric balloon EU mission HEMERA).

The Space Optics Calibration Chamber (SPOCC) is the optical test and vacuum chamber of the OPSys facility. It comprises the following sections:

  • Sun-simulator section, hosting the source (VL or UV) and the Sun-simulator collimating optics.
  • Pipeline: a vacuum cylindrical tube that can be configured in two different lengths (about 5 m or about 7 m).
  • Pumping section, which hosts the pumping system.
  • Test section, a vacuum semi-cylindrical chamber (1080x800x400 mm3) consisting of a motorized, vacuum-compatible optical bench that can be sealed by a semi-cylindrical cover.

The ECSS qualified areas in OPSys are:

  • The ISO 8 grey room: hosts the SPOCC pipeline section, its pumping system and its workstation. From this room it is possible to monitor and control the SPOCC internal subsystems as well as to store the required Optical Ground System Equipment (OGSE).
  • The ISO 7 clean room: is designed for supporting the AIV activities to be carried out in the ISO 5 clean room.
  • The ISO 5 clean area: hosts the SPOCC test section. It is the area with the highest cleanliness level and it is dedicated to perform the AIV activities on the optical instrumentation under test.

Contacts: Silvano Fineschi (silvano.fineschi at inaf.it)

Facility OpSys