UTRECHT, Wednesday June 28th – The Optical Instrumentation Network, one of the three knowledge networks of the NSO Instrument cluster, held its first meeting at SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research on Wednesday. Parties from the space instrumentation field in the Netherlands came together to discuss how the network partners can strengthen collaboration, how it can be extended to other relevant partners and what plans might emerge for joint projects.

The network is investigating the opportunity of a possible collaborative proposal for a currently open PIPP-call from NSO / NWO for joint space projects. For this call the theme “breakthrough technologies for imaging and characterisation of exoplanets” was chosen, allowing all partners to contribute and exchange knowledge on advanced optical systems. Furthermore, the network aims to grow stronger as a sector, to enlarge the parties’ joint portfolio of enabling breakthrough technologies and to create or seize more opportunities to fly the resulting instruments.

Attending parties were cosine, S&T, SRON, Leiden Observatory, TNO, LioniX, NOVA, TU Delft, ISIS, Stellar Space Industries and Airbus D&S NL.