MERSEN (EPA:MRN) - Mersen technology for the most powerful telescope in the world

Transparency directive : regulatory news

11/03/2019 17:40

PRESS RELEASE

MERSEN TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPE IN THE WORLD

PARIS, MARCH 11, 2019 - Mersen (Euronext FR0000039620 - MRN), a global expert
in electrical power and advanced materials, has announced that it will be
taking part in the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) project run by the European
Southern Observatory (ESO), helping to complete the fifth and final mirror for
this giant future telescope, which is the most powerful in the world.

Mersen had previously been tasked with creating the reference structure for the
fourth mirror by the Italian consortium AdOptica. This time, the company in
charge of the project, Safran Reosc, chose Mersen for its silicon carbide (SiC)
based solution.

The Group's subsidiary Mersen Boostec will manufacture the reduced-weight
mirror blank from SiC, matching Safran Reosc's specifications. SiC is a
lightweight, stiff, stable ceramic that is very little sensitive to temperature
fluctuations, and is a popular choice for optical instruments due to its
unrivaled thermo-elastic stability.

Mersen Boostec is well-known for its silicon carbide expertise, having equipped
more than 19 all-SiC telescopes that are already in orbit, and this order is a
direct result of that expertise.

Mersen has been contributing to astronomy for the past 20 years, working on
prestigious ESA space missions as Rosetta, Herschel and GAIA, and will soon
take part in NASA's JWST mission. The ELT project is a major ground-based
astronomy project for the Group.

About the ELT

The ELT is a huge telescope whose primary mirror spans 39m in diameter. It will
allow significant progress to be made in astronomy (stellar archeology,
exoplanet discovery and categorization, etc.)

About Safran Reosc

Safran Reosc is a subsidiary of Safran Electronics and Defense, Safran's
high-tech company and is a world leader in high-performance optic design,
production and integration for the astronomy, space, high-powered laser and
semiconductor industries in the civil and defense sectors.

About the ESO

The ESO is an intergovernmental astronomy organization founded in 1962 by five
European countries, in order to provide astronomers with a state-of-the-art,
ground-based astronomical observatory in the southern hemisphere.

ABOUT MERSEN

A global expert in electrical power and advanced materials, Mersen designs
innovative solutions to address its clients' specific needs to enable them to
optimize their manufacturing performance in sectors such as energy,
electronics, transportation, chemicals & pharmaceuticals and process
industries.

Mersen, with its 6,900 employees working across 35 countries, recorded sales of
EUR879 million in 2018.

MERSEN IS LISTED ON EURONEXT PARIS - COMPARTMENT B

INVESTOR AND ANALYST CONTACT
Véronique Boca
Vice-President, Communications
Mersen
Tel.: +33 (0)1 46 91 54 40
Email: dri@mersen.com

MEDIA RELATIONS
Stanislas Mulliez/Guillaume Granier

FTI Consulting Strategic Communications
Tel.: +33 (0)1 47 03 68 10
Email: stanislas.mulliez@fticonsulting.com /
guillaume.granier@fticonsulting.com

WWW.MERSEN.COM

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MERSEN (EPA:MRN) - Mersen technology for the most powerful telescope in the world

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