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About

Satoru Sofuku is a leading engineer in astronomical instrumentation, whose work has been pivotal to the development of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)—one of the most ambitious ground-based observatories ever conceived. His primary research areas center on the structural and robotic systems required for next-generation extremely large telescopes. Sofuku’s major contribution is his leadership in the preliminary design of the TMT’s Telescope Structure System (STR), a massive, precision framework that must support the telescope’s 30-meter primary mirror while maintaining nanometer-level stability. In 2012, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) entrusted him with this critical responsibility, and he successfully engaged Mitsubishi Electric Corporation to advance the design. His most cited work, a 2014 overview of this system, has garnered 13 citations and serves as a foundational reference for the project. Beyond the structure itself, Sofuku developed the force control technology for the TMT’s Segment Handling System (SHS), a robotic arm that safely exchanges the telescope’s 492 mirror segments. This innovation, detailed in a 2016 paper with 6 citations, ensures that the delicate, meter-wide segments can be swapped without risk of damage. Sofuku’s blend of structural engineering and robotics is essential to making the TMT’s revolutionary science a reality.