In the late 1960s, TCE spearheaded the engineering efforts for the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT), an impressive structure spanning 530 meters in length and standing 30 meters tall. This equatorially mounted cylindrical parabolic antenna, operating at 320.5 MHz, was not only conceived but also meticulously designed and constructed using indigenous technologies. Completed in 1970, the ORT remains at the forefront of sensitivity among radio telescopes globally. To ensure its continued relevance, the telescope’s electronics have been upgraded with state-of-the-art components, and structural evaluations project its functionality beyond the originally designated design life.

The telescope’s reflecting surface comprises 1,100 thin stainlesssteel wires running parallel along the entire length of the cylinder, supported by 24 steerable parabolic frames. The primary feed consists of 1,056 half-wave dipoles arranged in front of a 90-degree corner reflector, offering the telescope an impressive angular resolution of 2.3 degrees by 5.5 seconds (dec). TCE played a pivotal role in the project, handling both the conceptual design and detailed engineering. The company was also entrusted with the preparation of manufacturing drawings and provided supervision throughout the manufacturing, installation, and commissioning phases of this groundbreaking telescope.

The telescope’s cylindrical structure is rotated for tracking, scanning, and slewing at varying speeds via a shared 53-meterlong shaft, ensuring synchronised rotation of all frames. This involves cycloidal pinions interacting with 10-meter-diameter pin sector gears, each connected to the bull gear on every frame and attached to the respective parabolic frames.

Situated on a hill with an 11-degree slope, the Observatory Radio Telescope (ORT) aligns its antenna axis parallel to the Earth’s axis. Despite being designed nearly six decades ago, the telescope continues to be relevant today.