В работе рассмотрены научные и технические перспективы и возможные направления развития субтерагерцовой астрономии в Российской Федерации. Предложена концепция создания субтерагерцовых инструментов в виде универсальной компактной антенной решетки для размещения на территории России. На базе концепции такой антенной решетки возможна реализация нескольких космических проектов субтерагерцового диапазона нового поколения – космического интерферометра и телескопа, расположенного на поверхности Луны. Наземные антенные решетки смогут выступить в качестве поддержки режима интерферометра со сверхдлинной базой обсерватории «Миллиметрон».

This paper addresses the scientific and technical prospects and potential directions for the development of subterahertz astronomy in the Russian Federation. The concept of creating subterahertz instruments in the form of a universal compact antenna array for placement on the territory of the Russian Federation is proposed. It is possible to implement several space projects in the subterahertz range using such an antenna array, including a space interferometer and a telescope on the surface of the Moon. Ground-based compact antenna arrays will be able to act as a support for the very long baseline interferometer mode of the Millimetron observatory.

The paper describes the design of the main mirror of the Millimetron space observatory and its adjustment system. It alsopresents the results of modeling the compensation of deviations caused by various factors (temperature, opening errors,etc.) to an individual panel and to the entire mirror. The authors provide the results of experimental adaptation of anindividual panel and development of a precision cryogenic actuator for the system adjustment.

The paper presents the results of the development of an onboard two-stage telescope monitoring (control) system of the Millimetron space observatory. A 3D laser scanner is used for the preliminary inspection of the reflector elements, and an image analyzer based on the Foucault knife method is used for the final one. The results of the calculation and modeling of the monitoring system for tuning the telescope elements into space are presented. The signals formed in the system are calculated, including using data on the actual shape of the manufactured mirror elements. Estimates of the expected measurement accuracy are given, and the test results of the developed system are presented.

В работе представлены результаты моделирования термодеформаций отражающей поверхности космического радиотелескопа. Расчеты отклонений проведены для вариантов наиболее неблагоприятного освещения телескопа Солнцем.

Приведены результаты теоретических расчетов и результаты измерений формы отражающей поверхности космического телескопа, выполненные на этапе изготовления отдельных элементов и сборки изделия в целом.

The results of modeling the thermal deformations of a space radio telescope’s reflecting surface are presented in the paper. Calculations were performed for the versions of the most unfavorable telescope illumination by the Sun.

The results are given of the theoretical calculations and the results of measurements of the shape of the reflecting surface of the space telescope conducted during the manufacture of individual elements and assembly of the product as a whole.

The Russian Academy of Sciences and Federal Space Agency, together with the participation of many international organizations, worked toward the launch of the RadioAstron orbiting space observatory with its onboard 10-m reflector radio telescope from the Baikonur cosmodrome on July 18, 2011. Together with some of the largest ground-based radio telescopes and a set of stations for tracking, collecting, and reducing the data obtained, this space radio telescope forms a multi-antenna ground-space radio interferometer with extremely long baselines, making it possible for the first time to study various objects in the Universe with angular resolutions a million times better than is possible with the human eye. The project is targeted at systematic studies of compact radio-emitting sources and their dynamics. Objects to be studied include supermassive black holes, accretion disks, and relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei, stellar-mass black holes, neutron stars and hypothetical quark stars, regions of formation of stars and planetary systems in our and other galaxies, interplanetary and interstellar plasma, and the gravitational field of the Earth. The results of ground-based and inflight tests of the space radio telescope carried out in both autonomous and ground-space interferometric regimes are reported. The derived characteristics are in agreement with the main requirements of the project. The astrophysical science program has begun.

The space interferometer Radioastron is working jointly with the largest radio telescopes of the world. Ground tracking stations provide for retrieving the information and determining the orbital parameters for data processing centers. The project is aimed at systematic studies of images of radio emitting regions, their coordinates, and time-dependent variations near super-massive black holes in galactic nuclei, stellarmass black holes, neutron and quark stars, regions of star and planet formation in our and other galaxies, the structure of interplanetary and interstellar plasma, and the Earth’s gravitational field.

The Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Federal Space Agency are planning to launch Radioastron in 2011, which is a unique space observatory with a 10-meter reflector antenna. In conjunction with the largest ground-based radio telescopes and tracking stations, it forms the first system that will be able to carry out studies with a resolution millions of times greater than that of eyesight.

Millimetron is a Russian-led 12 m diameter submillimeter and far-infrared space observatory which is included in the Space Plan of the Russian Federation for launch around 2017. With its large collecting area and state-of-the-art receivers, it will enable unique science and allow at least one order of magnitude improvement with respect to the Herschel Space Observatory. Millimetron will be operated in two basic observing modes: as a single-dish observatory, and as an element of a ground-space very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) system. As single-dish, angular resolutions on the order of 3 to 12 arc sec will be achieved and spectral resolutions of up to a million employing heterodyne techniques. As VLBI antenna, the chosen elliptical orbit will provide extremely large VLBI baselines (beyond 300,000 km) resulting in micro-arc second angular resolution.