Mirror image

Tunnelled deep into the chalk of the South Downs, not far from Croydon, a set of workshops and testing suites turn out some of the most specialised mirrors in the world. Insulated by the surrounding rock, at a constant temperature and immune from vibration, a small team of craftsmen at

specialises in oddly shaped mirror geometries that depart from the normal, symmetrical, flat or spherical sections, many of them destined for satellite telescopes to explore the far reaches of our galaxy and beyond.

Meanwhile, in north Wales, the Ultra Precision Structured Surfaces Laboratory (UPS2), armed with the latest techniques for grinding and polishing optical surfaces, is taking the first steps towards offering a commercial service: the supply of large components for the next generation of Earth-based super-telescopes and for an expected surge in research into laser-generated nuclear fusion.

Optical Surfaces and UPS2 occupy different areas of technology and scale, but both are looking optimistically towards the future, where their skills in making perfect reflective surfaces and lenses could give the UK a leading position in this most exacting of industries.