Many of the key science goals in X-ray astronomy require spectroscopy in the soft energy band, 0.2 - 2.0 keV. The performance requirements placed on spectrometers typically have spectral resolving powers in the thousands with effective areas in the hundreds of square centimeters. Obtaining both of these requirements in a single instrument is a challenge for a variety of reasons. Here, we discuss the development tasks specific to off-plane reflection gratings. We detail the requirements that drive our technical challenges such as fabrication, alignment, and integration. Finally, we summarize recent results of X-ray performance testing demonstrating very high diffraction efficiency and resolving power.
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