2015 September : SPIRou cryostat delivered to NRC-H
This key SPIRou component was delivered on schedule to NRC-H after successful acceptance tests
A key SPIRou component, the main cryostat that will contain the cryogenic spectrograph, was delivered on-schedule to the NRC-H team in Victoria, following successful basic acceptance tests carried out at the manufacturer’s place. Given how critical this cryostat is for the performances of the whole instrument, and in particular for its mechanical and thermal stability, this delivery represents a major step forward in the construction process of SPIRou. After an initial cryostat test pump-down at NRC-H to check that the dewar did not suffer from the transport, a complete series of thorough measurements is currently being carried out to investigate in more details whether all specifications are met.
In a second step, the optical bench with its supports and cold bus, along with the optical mounts loaded with dummies, will be implemented within the cryostat. Once the whole system is tested with the true optical components (by 2016 Q2), the cryogenic spectrograph will be sent to Toulouse and linked to the instrument front end (Cassegrain module, fiber link and slicer, Calibration unit) for a complete series of acceptance tests aimed at verifying that the performances of SPIRou are nominal.
