Transport of GLAD vacuum chamber to High-Energy Cave
19.05.2026 |
As the first major component of the NUSTAR collaboration, the GLAD vacuum chamber was successfully transported to the NUSTAR High-Energy Cave. The vacuum chamber is a central element of the R3B experiment and has already been successfully used during FAIR Phase-0 at GSI and will play a crucial role in upcoming experiments at the FAIR facility.
The vacuum chamber, weighing approximately 15 tons, was transported from the GSI campus (close to the Cave C) to the FAIR site and into the High-Energy Cave, carefully positioned using a crane in combination with air cushion transport technology. The installation took place following a successful "Installation Readiness Review" (IRR) which includes the thorough preparation of documentation required for the installation work. As part of the extensive preparation of the transport, an initial trial was conducted at the GSI campus in January 2026 (see news here), which led to a a refined and successfully tested transport concept in February 2026. These preparatory steps ensured the safe and efficient execution of the operation. The precise execution of the transportation process marks a key step in the preparation of the instllation of further NUSTAR components at FAIR.
See also GSI press release here.
Further pictures can be found here.