TY - GEN N1 - This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher?s terms and conditions. PB - SPIE A1 - Pace, Emanuele A1 - Adler Abreu, Manuel A1 - Alonso, Gustavo A1 - Barroqueiro, Bruno A1 - Bocchieri, Andrea A1 - Brienza, Daniele A1 - Brucalassi, Anna A1 - Chioetto, Paolo A1 - Compostizo, Carlos A1 - Cortecchia, Fausto A1 - D'Anca, Fabio A1 - Del Vecchio, Ciro A1 - Diolaiti, emiliano A1 - Eccleston, Paul A1 - Fahmy, Salma A1 - Fernandes, José A1 - Fernandez Soler, Alejandro A1 - Ferruzzi, Debora A1 - Focardi, Mauro A1 - Freitas, Sara A1 - Galy, Camille A1 - Garcia Moreno, Laura A1 - Garcia Perez, Andres A1 - Gottini, Daniele A1 - Guerriero, Elisa A1 - Halain, Jean-Philippe A1 - Hellin, Marie-Laure A1 - Jollet, Delphine A1 - Lilli, Riccardo A1 - Malaguti, Giuseppe A1 - Martě, Laura A1 - Mazzoli, Alexandra A1 - Micela, Giuseppina A1 - Morgante, Gianluca A1 - Naponiello, Luca A1 - Noce, Vladimiro A1 - Pascale, Enzo A1 - Perez Alvarez, Javier A1 - Piazzolla, Raffaele A1 - Picchi, Paolo A1 - Preti, Giampaolo A1 - Roose, Stephane A1 - Salatti, Mario A1 - Salvignol, Jean-Christophe A1 - Scippa, Antonio A1 - Serre, Christophe A1 - Terenzi, Luca A1 - Tinetti, Giovanna A1 - Di Vignano, Elisabetta Tommasi A1 - Tozzi, Andrea A1 - Vandenbussche, Bart A1 - Zuppella, Paola AV - public Y1 - 2024/08/23/ CY - Bellingham, WA, USA TI - The telescope assembly of the Ariel space mission: an updated overview ID - discovery10197949 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.3018735 N2 - Ariel (Atmospheric Remote-Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large Survey) is the adopted M4 mission in the framework of the ESA ?Cosmic Vision? program. Its purpose is to survey the atmospheres of known exoplanets through transit spectroscopy. The launch is scheduled for 2029. The scientific payload consists of an off-axis, unobscured Cassegrain telescope feeding a set of photometers and spectrometers in the waveband 0.5-7.8 ľm and operating at cryogenic temperatures (55 K). The Telescope Assembly is based on an innovative fully aluminium design to tolerate thermal variations to avoid impacts on the optical performance; it consists of a primary parabolic mirror with an elliptical aperture of 1.1 m (the major axis), followed by a hyperbolic secondary that is mounted on a refocusing system, a parabolic re-collimating tertiary and a flat folding mirror directing the output beam parallel to the optical bench. An innovative mounting system based on 3 flexure hinges supports the primary mirror on one of the optical bench sides. The instrument bay on the other side of the optical bench houses the Ariel IR Spectrometer (AIRS) and the Fine Guidance System / NIR Spectrometer (FGS/NIRSpec). The Telescope Assembly is in phase B2 towards the Critical Design Review; the fabrication of the structural and engineering models has started; some components, i.e., the primary mirror and its mounting system are undergoing further qualification activities. This paper aims to update the scientific community on the progress concerning the development, manufacturing and qualification activity of the ARIEL Telescope Assembly. ER -