LUCI1 Detector Focus Repaired, Returned for Operations (May 4, 2026)

LUCI1 has been released for SL/ESM science. Verification sets showed that the passive flexure tables from Sept 2025 looked good, with the spots remaining within ~2 pixels over the full rotation. N375 and N180 camera foci have been updated in the config files. The repair campaign was a complete success.

LUCI1 Detector Focus Repairs (Apr 23, 2026)

Repairs of the detector focus unit have wrapped up.   The drive block, motor and both limit switches replaced.  The detector rotation was tweaked, now 0.011deg.  LUCI1 is cooling in the lab and is tentatively scheduled for installation on May 1st.  Checkouts and recalibration scheduled following installation.

LUCI1 Detector Focus Failure (Mar 27, 2026)

At the end of the night on UT20260327, LUCI1 experienced a failure of the detector focus mechanism.  The detector focus is not moving or barely moving, stuck near the negative limit, and the instrument has been removed from operations while troubleshooting efforts are underway.