Working on one of Arrakihs's binoculars

ESA's Arrakihs mission will carry two binocular telescopes. Together, they will allow the mission to observe the faint starlight coming from the haloes of galaxies that are similar to the Milky Way galaxy. This will allow the mission to dig up cosmic history and reveal how galaxies like our own form.  

This photo shows two employees from Spanish company Satlantis working on a testing model of one of Arrakihs's telescopes, designed by the instrument team of the Arrakihs Mission Consortium. Satlantis is leading the development of the scientific instrument.  

[Image description: A large pair of black cylinders is mounted horizontally on a metal platform. The insides of the cylinders look mostly black, although the right cylinder shows a reflection from a circular mirror inside it. Colourful wires are connected to the outside of the cylinders and to the platform. Two people wearing light blue outfits, including hoods, gloves and face masks, are tweaking something on the metal platform.]