
U.S. Air Force big telescope
Big telescope for U.S. Air Force!
Colorado we are coming!
ASA is proud to announce the installation of our big 1m robotic telescope to be used by the United States Air Force for robotic space debris research. The versatile 1 meter system will also be used for exoplanet searches and orbital detection.
Colorado we are coming!
Big telescope for U.S. Air Force!

Challenge
The telescope system will be used to:
- support cadet and faculty research projects
- connect the Falcon Telescope Network across the world
- study man-made, Earth-orbiting objects and deep-space natural phenomena such as planets orbiting other stars
Our Solution
THE ASA EQ1000, a big 1m equatorial telescope:
- Direct Drive motors
- All axis with absolute encoder
- Unguided blind tracking performance
- Derotator with encoder system
ASA Impressions
Products in use
ASA EQ1000 f6.76
1000mm Ritchey-Chrétien equatorial telescope f6.76 f2
- Optical design: Ritchey-Chrétien RC
- Linear central obstruction: 35%
- Focus position: Cassegrain
- Focal length: 6760mm
- Focal ratio system: f6.76
- Clear Aperture / Focal Ratio Primary Mirror: 1000mm / f2
- Image field: 150mm (1.27 degrees)
- Mirror material: Fused silica (option Zerodur)
- Surface quality: >94 strehl
- Microroughness: 1nm RMS / <0.7nm Ra
- Coating: Al+SiO2 >91%
- Back Focus from flange: 246.73mm
- Total weight: 2100kg (4630 lbs)
- Motor: ASA Direct Drive
- Latitude Range: 20 to 80 degrees views
- Software: ASA Software package with a platform-independent Ascom Alpaca API (via TCP/IP), compatibility with numerous programs, and many additional API features for:
• Creating and optimizing pointing files
• MLPT (e.g., usable with a N.I.N.A plugin)
• Uploading and tracking TLE and CPF satellite orbits
• Orbit corrections when satellite tracking (autoguiding with external CCD cameras)
• Focus control also via Ascom Alpaca API
• Covers (if installed) via Ascom Alpaca API - Max. slew speeds: Up to 50 degrees per second
- Pointing Accuracy (20° to 85°): <8” RMS with pointing model and ASA telescope
- Tracking Accuracy (20° to 85° – unguided, with current pointingfile): <0,25” RMS within 5 minutes
- System Natural Frequency: 10 Hz or greater

































