{"id":56836,"date":"2026-11-06T09:24:57","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T08:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.composites-united.com\/?p=56836"},"modified":"2026-11-06T09:38:29","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T08:38:29","slug":"fiber-composites-for-climate-monitoring-connova-manufactures-composite-telescope-structures-for-esas-co2m-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.composites-united.com\/en\/fiber-composites-for-climate-monitoring-connova-manufactures-composite-telescope-structures-for-esas-co2m-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Fiber composites for climate monitoring: Connova manufactures composite telescope structures for ESA\u2019s CO2M mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Connova AG, together with Thales Alenia Space Schweiz AG, has developed, manufactured and qualified the telescope structures for the Copernicus mission CO2M. The mission is set to determine from orbit, for the first time, what proportion of atmospheric carbon dioxide is of human origin. A new case study describes how Connova achieved a positioning accuracy of up to 0.02 mm at the optical interfaces.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Qualified CO2M telescope structure, developed and manufactured by Connova AG together with Thales Alenia Space Schweiz AG. (Image: Connova AG)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Measured data instead of projections<\/strong><\/p>

Under the Paris Agreement, more than 190 countries have committed to measurable emission targets. So far, however, these commitments can only be verified approximately, as national inventories rely largely on projections to determine how much CO\u2082 power plants, cities or entire countries actually emit. CO2M, the Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Mission, is designed to close this data gap. ESA is developing the mission on behalf of the European Union. From an altitude of around 735 kilometers, three satellites are set to measure emissions over individual power plants, metropolitan areas, regions and entire countries.<\/p>

A structure on which the entire measurement depends<\/strong><\/p>

For CO2M to measure reliably, the optical instrument on board must maintain its geometry throughout the entire mission: under the high loads during launch, in vacuum and over thousands of thermal cycles. The telescope structure therefore has to be lightweight yet very stiff, remain thermally stable across the entire operating range and provide the highest dimensional accuracy at all optical interfaces. Added to this are the European space industry\u2019s requirements for quality, documentation and traceability. This combination calls for a fiber composite structure whose behavior can be predicted precisely at the design stage.<\/p>

Jointly designed, manufactured under one roof<\/strong><\/p>

During the concept phase, the engineering teams at Connova and Thales Alenia Space Schweiz compared several design approaches to achieve the best possible balance between stiffness, mass, interfaces and thermomechanical behavior. Connova was responsible for the entire value chain: design, material selection and procurement of the space-qualified materials, manufacturing of the individual parts, precision machining, assembly, qualification and acceptance tests, and documentation in accordance with ESA standards. With engineering, production and quality assurance working together under one roof, lines of communication were short \u2013 from the initial evaluation through to the finished assembly.<\/p>

Precision by the numbers<\/strong><\/p>