By Michael Balogh (CATAC Chair)
(Cassiopeia – Summer 2023)
The National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the US Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP) took place in two phases. The first phase, focused on technical readiness of TMT, was completed at the end of 2022; the programmatics (governance, operations etc) were reviewed separately at the end of January 2023. The full PDR report was delivered to the NSF in March, but will not be distributed to US-ELTP participants. The Project is still awaiting a written summary of the main findings and recommendations. Negotiations with the NSF are ongoing, to establish an appropriate model for governance and partner shares in the case of NSF participation. There has been no update on the schedule for the Final Design Review (FDR), which would normally take place about 1-1.5 years after the PDR. At the same time, the NSF Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Section 106 process continues, with updates and FAQ provided here. The volume of comments submitted during the scoping process has resulted in further delay to this review and hence to the construction timeline. A revised timeline is not available yet, but will be posted to the website above.
Decommissioning of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) is proceeding on Mauna Kea and this is being closely monitored by the Mauna Kea Stewardship Oversight Authority (MKSOA). Detailed, up to date information about the process is available at the CSO website.
Meanwhile, on the alternative site of Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM), an appeal to the Supreme Court by the environmental group Ben Magec has been dismissed. The legal right to construct TMT on ORM is therefore maintained and no further legal obstacles to the land concession are anticipated. All construction permits are in place. However, Mauna Kea remains the preferred site for TMT construction, and this is likely to remain the case until the NSF process has concluded.
In April, the second in a series of public TMT webinars was held. This one focused on first-light instrumentation capabilities. The video and the PDFs of the presentations are posted here.
CATAC membership
Michael Balogh (University of Waterloo), Chair, mbalogh@uwaterloo.ca
Bob Abraham (University of Toronto; TIO SAC)
Stefi Baum (University of Manitoba)
Laura Ferrarese (NRC)
Harvey Richer (UBC)
Jason Rowe (Bishop’s)
Stan Metchev (Western University; TIO SAC Canadian co-chair)
Kim Venn (ACURA Board Chair, non-voting, ex-officio)
Luc Simard (Director General of NRC-HAA, non-voting, ex-officio)
Christine Wilson (Acting CASCA President, non-voting, ex-officio)
Tim Davidge (TIO SAC; NRC, observer)