Trelleborg seals on world’s largest infrared telescope 

Trelleborg, Sweden – Trelleborg AB's marine and infrastructure operation has been selected to supply inflatable and compression seals to the largest optical infrared telescope in the world.

The Swedish group will supply “handmade and durable” seals to contractor Cimolai SpA for the construction of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in Chile, Trelleborg announced 28 Sept.

To be mounted atop Cerro Armazones at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the telescope is set to be completed in 2025.

The ELT is owned and operated by the European Southern Observatory and will gather 15 times more light than today's largest optical telescopes.

It will feature a 39-metre primary mirror and ground-breaking adaptive optics technology that will help correct distortions in the Earth's atmosphere, making the images sharper than those taken from space.

The seals will help maintain the pressurised atmosphere within the ELT's classic dome shape and are airtight from water, heat and dust and ensure there is no UV exposure within the opening.

"The ELT is a revolutionary scientific project that will address many of the most pressing unsolved questions about our universe," said Andre de Graaf, sales director at Trelleborg's marine and infrastructure operation.