Abstract: Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have emerged as ideal materials for lightweight mirror design in large-aperture space telescopes and adaptive optical systems due to their high specific stiffness, low areal density, and excellent thermal stability. Systematically review advances in CFRP mirror design, manufacturing processes, environmental adaptability studies, and their applications in large telescopes. Research demonstrates that optimizing layup design, refining curing processes, and enhancing surface treatment techniques effectively suppress fiber print-through (FPT) and curing-induced residual stress, achieving surface accuracy up to λ/10 (root mean square, RMS). However, the hygroscopicity of CFRP and anisotropy in their coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) remain critical challenges for practical engineering applications. This paper further discussed the combination of active optical control technology with CFRP mirror, which adjusted the surface shape according to the change of force and environment, and verified its potential application in deformable mirror and large aperture splicing mirror. In the future, it is necessary to focus on the development of new matrix materials, multi-field coupling mechanism analysis and long-term service performance evaluation to promote the reliable application of CFRP mirrors in extreme environments.

Key words: carbon fiber reinforced polymer, lightweight mirrors, environmental adaptability, active optical mirrors