Fabrication of Glass Mirror Segments for the International X-Ray Observatory

As the next major X-ray astronomical mission of NASA, ESA, and JAXA, the International X-ray Observatory (IXO) requires a mirror assembly that has an unprecedented effective area and an angular resolution better than all past missions except Chandra. This mirror assembly consists of approximately 15,000 mirror segments, which need to be fabricated, measured, aligned and integrated. In this talk we will present the latest results from our effort of developing an efficient and fast process of making these mirror segments by slumping commercially available glass sheets. We will report on our progress both in terms of perfecting the slumping process as well as the metrology process. In particular, we will discuss what additional work needs to be done to fully facilitate the manufacture of these mirror segments, meeting both budgetary and schedule requirements