Control and Motorization of a Radio Telescope

This lecture introduces the Radio Waze project, focusing on radio astronomy and the observation of distant galaxies using a Small Radio Telescope. The project aims to build the largest radio telescope in Switzerland by 2025, with a current focus on motorization and control challenges such as precise pointing, compensation for Earth's rotation, tracking fast-moving artificial satellites, and maintaining accuracy in windy conditions. The lecture covers the translation of requirements into mechanical design, component selection, real-time target positioning algorithms, and numerical simulations to ensure system stability and robustness before construction.