New Delhi: Two business verticals of Larsen and Toubro, Heavy Civil Infrastructure (HCI) and Heavy Engineering (HE) have jointly won a significant order from the Department of Atomic Energy, of the Government of India for establishing the LIGO India Observatory. The gravitational wave observatory is being constructed at Aundha in the Hingoli District of Maharashtra. LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, that uses a pair of sensitive lasers bounced back over two arms, each four kilometres in length, to measure subtle compressions and expansions in spacetime as gravitational waves from distant cosmic events pass over the Earth.
Both Caltech and MIT, the institutions operating the two LIGO detectors in the USA will work closely with a number of premiere domestic research institutions, including the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) and the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) towards the construction of LIGO India. Larsen and Toubro’s tasks include comprehensive engineering, procurement and construction of vibration sensitive specialised, high-precision civil infrastructure, manufacture and installation of the ultra-high vacuum eight km long beam tube, and the critical vacuum infrastructure. The integration of mechanical, electrical, HVAC, fire protection, vacuum control, monitoring systems and all support utilities are also within the scope of the order.
LIGO India to be built in 48 months
The deadline for completion of the project is 48 months. Larsen and Toubro is one of the suppliers of ISRO, and the order reinforces the strong track record and proven expertise of the company for delivering complex projects. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for LIGO India on the 25th National Technology Day in 2023. The project was cleared for construction by the Indian government in 2023, with a budget of Rs 2,600 crore. The LIGO-India facility will join a global network of gravitational wave detectors, including the two LIGOs in the USA, Virgo in Italy and KAGRA in Japan.