The US National Science Foundation (NSF) is to assemble a panel to help it decide whether to fund the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) or the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). The agency expects the panel, whose membership has yet to be determined, to report by 30 September, the end of the US government’s financial year.
The NSF first announced in February that it would support the construction of only one of the two next-generation ground-based telescopes due to rising costs. The GMT, priced at $2.54bn, will be located in Chile, while the TMT, which is expected to cost at least $3bn, is set to be built in Hawaii.
A decision on which telescope to fund was initially slated for May. But at a meeting of the National Science Board (NSB) last week, NSF boss Sethuraman Panchanathan revealed the panel would provide further advice to the agency. The decision to look to outsiders followed discussions with the US government and the NSB, which oversees the NSF.
Battle for the skies: US insists GMT and TMT telescopes must vie for funding
The panel, which will include scientists and engineers, will assess “the readiness of the project from all perspectives” and consider how supporting each telescope would affect the NSF’s overall budget.
It will examine progress made to date, the level of partnerships and resources, and risk management. Complementarity to the European Extremely Large Telescope, opportunities for early-career scientists, and public engagement will be looked at too.
“I want to be very clear that this is not a decision to construct any telescopes,” Panchanathan, who originally trained as a physicist, told the NSB. “This is simply part of a process of gathering critical information to inform my decision-making on advancing either project to the final design stage.”
