Danish firm to build key component for world’s largest telescope

A small West Jutland metalworking company will help build a critical part for the world’s largest telescope, set to begin operations in 2030.

VST Industries in Lem, near Ringkøbing, has been tasked with constructing a large vacuum chamber in aluminium for the optics of the Extremely Large Telescope, according to DR. The telescope, with a 39-metre mirror diameter, is under construction on a mountaintop in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth.

Claus Holm, head of sales and development at VST Industries, called the project a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “It’s a really fun task,” he said. “It’s humbling to think about.”

The vacuum chamber must ensure absolute stability for the telescope’s hypersensitive optics. “It’s extremely precise work,” Holm said. “Not a single dust particle or error can disrupt the optics.”

Researchers, including Charlie Lind-Thomsen, a graduate student at the Niels Bohr Institute, will use the telescope to search for signs of life on other planets. “The big dream is to look at a planet and have enough data to say: This planet’s atmosphere suggests there must be some form of life,” Lind-Thomsen said.

Once completed, the telescope will produce images 15 times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope, revealing unprecedented details of planets in other galaxies.

The vacuum chamber, once installed, will be sealed for the next 20 years. VST Industries is coordinating closely with researchers in Switzerland to ensure the design meets the exacting requirements.