Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope, Radio-optical telescope on Mount Aragats, Armenia

The Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope is an observation facility in the Armenian mountains with a large antenna dish and additional mirror arrangements for space research. The combination enables simultaneous observations across different spectral ranges.

Paris Herouni proposed the telescope to Sergei Korolev in 1964; after delays, construction ran from 1975 to 1985. A pit blasted into Mount Aragats was lined with concrete, and 3,600 hand-polished aluminium-alloy panels were fixed to iron pipes to form the 54 m mirror. It became operational in 1986, the year Herouni received patent No. 1377941, and ceased in 2012 when a control arm failed.

The facility represents Armenian achievements in space technology and reflects the work of engineers who developed local expertise in antenna design. Visitors can observe how the installation integrates into the mountain landscape and the role it plays in the scientific community.

The site sits in high mountain terrain between two villages and is best accessed during clear weather. Roads leading to the facility may vary in condition depending on the season.

The 54 m dish is fixed, so pointing is done by a movable 5 m secondary mirror; this gives a usable diameter of 32 m. Each of the 3600 aluminium-alloy panels was hand-moulded and finished to within 70 microns, and a lathe brought from Russia was installed in a purpose-built foundry to polish them.