Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Michael Krumrey is a leading figure in the development of X-ray optics for next-generation space observatories, with a primary focus on the Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics (ATHENA) mission. His major contributions center on advancing Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) technology, a critical innovation that enables the high-resolution, lightweight X-ray mirrors required for this future European Space Agency (ESA) large-class mission. Krumrey’s work, including his highly cited 2019 paper on optics developments for ATHENA (8 citations), has been instrumental in maturing SPO from a concept to a viable, flight-ready technology. His earlier 2015 study on the Athena optics (5 citations) helped define the mission’s system architecture, directly supporting ESA’s Cosmic Vision Science Programme. Through these efforts, Krumrey has played a pivotal role in ensuring that ATHENA—selected in 2014 as ESA’s second L-class mission—can achieve its ambitious goals of mapping hot gas structures and supermassive black holes. His research is essential reading for students and engineers working on high-energy astrophysics instrumentation, demonstrating how precision optics engineering enables transformative space science.