Optikos to Make Optical System for ITT

Optikos Corp. announced it was awarded a contract from ITT Corp. for the design and production of an optical focus verification system (OFVS) for telescope-to-film and telescope-to-CCD camera image plane alignment. Work will be performed for ITT’s System Div. in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The contract is in support of the 45th US Air Force Space Wing operations at the Eastern Range, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). The OFVS will be used on five large-aperture launch tracking telescopes that support launches from Cape Canaveral, including the space shuttle. The equipment will provide an automated capability to verify the correct focus of the tracking telescope prior to launch. Optikos's Optical Engineering Group demonstrated the OFVS proof-of-principle in April.

Stephen D. Fantone, PhD, Optikos's founder and president, said, "Optikos's multidisciplinary approach to this complex and challenging measurement requirement has reached its first milestone with the success of the proof-of-principle demonstration. We are proud of our Engineering Group members’ efforts to provide both a compelling technical demonstration which illustrated our understanding of ITT’s needs and to present a solid plan for the field system development."

ITT manages the US Air Force Spacelift Range Support Contract for the operation and maintenance requirements of the Eastern Range at CCAFS, Fla., and the Western Range at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

For more information, visit: www.optikos.com