The visit focused on the development of a particularly demanding piece of equipment: for this major European scientific mission, Codechamp is designing and will supply the most precise encoder ever developed by the company.
This contribution highlights the role of high-precision position measurement technologies in the next generation of space programmes.

LISA, or Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, will be the first space-based observatory dedicated to detecting gravitational waves.
Led by the European Space Agency, with contributions from ESA Member States, NASA and the international LISA scientific community, the mission will open up a new way of observing the Universe.
Its architecture will rely on three spacecraft flying in formation around the Sun, separated by approximately 2.5 million kilometres.
Laser beams will be exchanged between the spacecraft to detect extremely small variations in distance caused by passing gravitational waves.
The launch of the three spacecraft is currently planned for 2035 aboard Ariane 6.

LISA is built around exceptionally demanding levels of measurement accuracy.
Detecting gravitational waves from space requires a combination of instruments and mechanisms capable of maintaining extremely high levels of stability and precision.
This is where Codechamp’s contribution comes into play.
For the programme, the company is developing an optical encoder offering an unprecedented level of precision within its product portfolio, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the mission.
The project directly draws on Codechamp’s expertise in high-precision angular position measurement for space applications.

On October 8 and 9, representatives from Sener, OHB and ESA visited Codechamp’s Champagnat facility as part of the project follow-up.
The visit provided an opportunity for the different partners to meet directly at the site where the encoder is being developed and manufactured, alongside the technical teams and industrial resources involved in the programme.
OHB plays a central role in LISA as the industrial prime contractor responsible for leading the team in charge of building and assembling the three spacecraft.
This visit to Champagnat therefore forms part of a much broader European industrial ecosystem bringing together agencies, prime contractors and specialised equipment manufacturers around a common objective: achieving the performance required to observe gravitational waves from space.

Codechamp optical encoders are designed to provide accurate angular position measurement in systems subject to demanding performance requirements.
In space applications, these technologies can be used in mechanisms where precise knowledge of position is critical to the control and operation of the system.
The development carried out for LISA takes this expertise one step further.
With the most precise encoder ever designed by Codechamp, the project represents both a major technical challenge and a new milestone in the development of the company’s expertise.
Beyond the product itself, this contribution also demonstrates the ability of a specialised equipment manufacturer to support highly demanding international scientific programmes.

LISA is based on extensive international scientific and industrial cooperation.
ESA coordinates the mission with its Member States and NASA, while numerous European industrial partners contribute to its instruments and subsystems.
Codechamp’s involvement in this value chain highlights the role that specialised high-precision technology suppliers can play in major European space programmes.
From Champagnat, Codechamp teams will contribute to a mission designed to open up a new field of observation of the Universe: the study of gravitational waves from space.

The visit of the Sener, OHB and ESA teams on October 8 and 9, 2026 marked another important step in Codechamp’s contribution to the LISA project.
By developing its most precise optical encoder to date, Codechamp is putting its expertise in position measurement at the service of one of Europe’s most ambitious scientific space missions.