Acquisition and space contract for e2v

QP is an established US-based designer and supplier of specialty semiconductor components used in military and aerospace applications. Its product range addresses a niche sector within this market, designed to deliver high performance in extreme conditions. E2v chief executive Keith Attwood said the proposed acquisition represented a significant opportunity for e2v to establish an operational footprint in the USA. “It will increase our market share in the aerospace and defence sector and expand our relationship with contractors to the US Department of Defense,'' he added. The Chelmsford, Essex-based company also announced a new contract to supply the European Southern Observatory (ESO) - the largest astronomical institute in Europe - with sensors to be used on a new Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) to be used by European astronomy researchers. The instrument will allow many thousands of spectra to be recorded simultaneously to allow high efficiency studies of dense stellar and extragalactic astrophysical fields. ESO selected the e2v devices for their high technical performance and its well established track record of previously delivering such large sets of CCDs for astronomical applications to ESO and to many other observatories worldwide. Roland Bacon, Principal Investigator of the MUSE project, said “MUSE is built to observe very distant galaxies, where the light has taken billions of years to travel and reach our telescopes.” Brian McAllister, general manager of space & scientific imaging at e2v, said “ESO and e2v have worked together on many projects in the last decade, providing sensors for guidance, adaptive optics and large mosaic cameras. We are delighted to receive this new contract for image sensors from our new CCD231 family, developed to meet the demanding specifications of today’s astronomers and scientists.”