4MOST - 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope
4-m Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope
4MOST

Final Design Review - Part 2

by Joe Liske on 2019-03-10

In early May 2018 the Final Design Review (FDR) for 4MOST was held. In this review, most of the system and subsystem design and analysis was presented and thoroughly reviewed by a panel of ESO and external experts. Following FDR, the subsystems that were reviewed entered the manufacturing and assembly (MAIT) phase. However, some of the subsystems were not ready for review at that point in time, and it was agreed between ESO and the 4MOST Project Office to schedule a second review dubbed FDR-2.

FDR-2 was held on 6-7 March 2019 at ESO in Garching. Participants included Project Office members, subsystem Work Package managers and engineers, Review Panel members from ESO, and invited external experts. The scope of the review was to review the final design of the Long Fiber Feed, Metrology, and Cooling subsystems, the Acquisition & Guiding MAIT, the Wide Field Corrector verification, as well as some system aspects, such as assembly, integration, test and verification, including the Focal Surface Test Tools (FSTT). The meeting was held in a very constructive, open and collaborative spirit, and the preliminary feedback from the panel was quite positive. In particular, for all the subsystems listed above, early feedback was very encouraging and preparations for entering the MAIT phase can now commence. The FSTT will be subject of a dedicated review meeting this summer.

This means that, with a few exceptions, the 4MOST facility is now in full production mode. The character of the project is changing quite substantially, which takes some time to get used to, but at the same time it is very motivating to see the facility hardware and software taking shape. To keep track of the rapid developments, the Project Office is now quite busy working with the partners through many Work Package Mid-Term Reviews and Lab Acceptance Reviews.