Herschel

ESA’s space observatory Herschel carried the largest infrared telescope ever flown in space. The Herschel mission studied the origin and evolution of stars and galaxies to help understand the origin and the evolution of the Universe. It was the first observatory to cover the entire range from far-infrared to submillimetre wavelengths, allowing Herschel to observe phenomena beyond the reach of other observatories. The telescope’s primary mirror with a diameter of 3.5m allowed Herschel to collect almost 20 times more light than any previous infrared space telescope. The spacecraft carried three advanced science instruments: two cameras and a very high-resolution spectrometer. The detectors in these instruments were cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero by a sophisticated cryogenic system. Herschel was launched in May 2009 and operational until April 2013, when the coolant ran out.

Horst was supporting the payload development as system engineer at Airbus D&S in Friedrichshafen, covering instrument interface engineering and the procurement of mass and thermal dummies for payload module testing.