Alexandra Nolde
Liebherr-Components AG
Brown Boveri Straße 7
5400 Baden
Switzerland
5400 Baden
Switzerland
+41 562 9643-26
+41 562 9643-01
Listicles | 10/13/2025
Four insights into the Next Generation Very Large Array radio telescope project
With innovative engineering and precise technology, Liebherr-Components Biberach GmbH is part of the international Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) radio telescope project. Together with mtex antenna technology gmbh, Liebherr is enabling new insights into the secrets of the universe.
1. Technology from Biberach for a view of the universe
Liebherr-Components Biberach GmbH is supplying key components for the ngVLA, which is set to be the most important radio observatory in the world in the future. Together with mtex antenna technology gmbh, it is producing high-precision slewing bearings, ring gear segments and drives for the 18 metre parabolic antennas, which are to be distributed across the North America continent.
2. Precision that sets new standards
The requirements are extreme: the antennas must be aligned so precisely that they could theoretically focus on a golf ball on the moon. To achieve this, Liebherr is using a play-free, three-row roller slewing ring with an external diameter of 3.3 metres as well as specially developed azimuth and elevation drives. These enable positioning with precision to the nearest millimetre – even in windy conditions and when there are temperature fluctuations.
3. Innovation meets international collaboration
A milestone in the project was reached with the handover of the first prototype antenna by mtex to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The new offset Gregorian antenna has laser-treated panels and an innovative back structure. It was presented during a ceremony attended by representatives from Germany, Mexico and the USA – a symbol of the global scale of the project.
4. Research with vision and team spirit
The ngVLA is expected to deliver radio images that are hundreds of times more detailed than the images produced by the Hubble or James Webb telescopes. This should enable research into the creation of stars and planets, the area around black holes and the chemical composition of gas clouds. Liebherr and mtex show how interdisciplinary collaboration and engineering can push limits – and how precision technology from Biberach will be the key component for research into the universe.
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