Per AMOS ad astra 

"Tucked away in the woodlands of the Sart-Tilman Scientific Park, on a hilltop just outside Wallonia’s principal city of Liège, is an integrated contract design and manufacturing company specialising in space-related technologies and optical engineering.

Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems, or AMOS as it is better known to its international clients, has built an enviable reputation in a number of demanding fields: ground-based satellite test equipment, onboard satellite systems and components and, drawing on its optical engineering skills, professional astronomy.

In addition to optical knowhow, the scientific team at AMOS offers advanced skills in mechanical, electronic and thermal engineering, and vacuum technology. These competences have been harnessed to produce sophisticated systems and components for such prestigious organisations as the European Space Agency, the European Southern Observatory (see box), the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, the UKAEA, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), and private-sector clients like Aerospatiale, Alcatel and Thales.

AMOS takes projects through from basic concept to detailed design, engineering and manufacture. Design procedures include CAD and FEM (Finite Element Method) for simulating structural performance under stress. Production skills include specialised welding techniques, ion beam polishing, and grinding and polishing of telescope mirrors up to 3m diameter.

A typical design and production challenge for AMOS engineers was the vacuum chamber developed for SNECMA to test the new ‘Ariane’ rocket motor. This has the task of simulating space conditions to verify the motor’s reignition performance, since the rocket has to perform a series of sequential satellite launches. A specially designed  hatch opens during testing to vent the motor’s exhaust.

AMOS’ vacuum technology skills extend from chamber and thermal shrouds for space-related applications to vacuum process machinery and equipment for industry. Another challenging project has been the development of a satellite test rig or collimator which not only simulates space conditions but, using the company’s optical skills, fools the satellite into thinking it is receiving x-ray and infra-red signals from millions of light years away.

It is not surprising that such a wide range of skills has global appeal. The proof is in the fact that, of AMOS’ €6 million annual turnover, 85% comes from international sales.

The company’s flagship project is, without question, the Auxiliary Telescope System (ATS) developed by AMOS for the European Southern Observatory’s Cerro Paranal site in Chile. As an integrated contract engineering facility, the company is handling the design, materials procurement, manufacturing, assembly, factory testing and packing of four of these units, to be delivered over the next two years.

The ATS unit is a novel concept prompted by the excessive cost to the Observatory of an additional extra-large diameter telescope. As an alternative, ESO technicians came up with the idea of smaller mobile telescopes that, operating in interferometry mode at variable distances from one another in conjunction with the Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) array, could feed light signals into a central computing facility.

AMOS has accordingly taken responsibility for the full development of these four units: the telescopes themselves, the supporting rail-mounted transporters, the electronic and air-conditioning systems, the enclosures and the related site equipment. Built into the transporters are a mirror interface system that feeds the light signals into tunnels linking the 30 ATS stations with the central computing facility. Light signals are reflected through a complex of 11 mirrors inside these transporters before they enter the tunnel!

All system development and assembly work – from mirror grinding/polishing to electronics and metalworking/welding were carried out at AMOS’ Sart-Tilman site. These are the first mobile optical telescopes in the world!"