Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2019

37 S ince the ESO Council gave their “green light” to start the con- struction of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in 2014, the pro- gramme has been advancing rapidly. To date, almost 90% (by value) of the external contracts have been awarded for the design and manu- facture of the telescope, optics, com- ponents and instruments. ESO continuously monitors the per- formance of ongoing contracts and the schedule of the programme. With the facts available today, ESO has assessed the current situation of the ongoing work and the tight schedule for the products and activ- ities still to be procured. In light of this, ESO has decided to revise the ELT’s baseline schedule. As a result, First Light, previously scheduled for the end of 2024, is currently planned for the end of 2025. Despite the postponement of the First Light, the schedules committed to in all running contracts and agree- ments with the ELT industrial con- tractors and institute partners re- main unchanged. ESO will continue to work closely with its contractors and partners to ensure that all exist- ing contractual schedules are met, and that the ELT is delivered as soon as possible. The scientific strength and unique- ness of the ELT will not be affected by this development. Though the new schedule pushes back the First Light date, the telescope’s observa- tional capabilities remain unparal- leled. When the world’s largest opti- cal telescope begins its operations, it will offer astronomers a unique opportunity to tackle some of the biggest challenges in astrophysics and will vastly advance our scientific knowledge of the Universe. C onstruction site of the Extremely Large Telescope on Cerro Armazones in the Chilean Atacama Desert. [G. Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto.com )/ESO] !