Observatory telescope removed from Mauna Kea
Dec. 23—The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory telescope on Mauna Kea has been removed and packed for shipment to Chile.
The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory telescope on Mauna Kea has been removed and packed for shipment to Chile.
Caltech, a private science and engineering institute in Pasadena, Calif., said in a news release Thursday that with the removal, "Deconstruction of the dome and restoration of the site will resume after the winter."
Caltech said the cost of deconstruction and site restoration is expected to exceed $4 million and is being funded primarily by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, while the removal of the telescope for reuse is being funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation.
The Caltech telescope is the first of five earmarked for decommissioning to make way for the landmark Thirty Meter Telescope.
Caltech is one of the partners planning to build the $2.65 billion TMT, along with the University of California and science institutions from China, India, Canada and Japan. The removal of five telescopes from the Mauna Kea summit is a condition of the TMT's conservation district use permit.
However, the controversial telescope remains on hold while the National Science Foundation conducts environmental studies and weighs the possibility of investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the project.
How that plan ultimately plays out remains uncertain under the new Maunakea Stewardship Oversight Authority, approved in 2022 by the state Legislature and signed into law by former Gov. David Ige. The authority will take full control of the astronomy precinct from the university following a five-year transition period.
In the first phase of the decommissioning, Caltech said in the release that the following occurred :—"The telescope, including its mount, was taken out of the observatory dome and was removed from Maunakea.—"The cesspool was confirmed to contain no remaining liquid contents.—"Interior demolition began. Two roll-off containers were filled with debris, mainly insulation, drywall, and plywood, and were removed from Maunakea.—"Electrical power to the observatory was cut off and the main circuit breaker was shut off. The electrical transformer feeding the site will be removed by HELCO.—"The site was inspected for rodents, as required by the county building permit.—"Underground utilities, including sewer, water, electrical, communication, and grounding grids, were mapped using ground-penetrating radar so that they can be easily located during the demolition process."
Decommissioning will resume in the spring to include removing the observatory dome, foundation, cesspool and underground utilities.
According to Caltech, testing of the grounds for chemicals will be conducted, and monitoring for invasive species will also be done.
"The land will be restored to the fullest extent consistent with the permits guiding the decommissioning, " Caltech said.
The latest University of Hawaii Mauna Kea Master Plan calls for a maximum of nine observatories to remain atop Hawaii's tallest mountain by the time the Mauna Kea Science Reserve lease expires in 2033. There are currently 13 telescopes, with four to be decommissioned, and if the TMT is built, a fifth would be taken out of operation.------Star-Advertiser staff writer Tim Hurley contributed to this report.
