2023-09-07: 120-Ton Crane Headed up Maunakea this Month; Caltech Telescope to Be Removed
Hilo, Hawai‘i – September 7, 2023 – The 120-ton crane needed to remove the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) telescope from the dome will drive up to Maunakea’s summit in the first part of September, possibly as early as September 8th. Telescope removal will start shortly thereafter, tentatively on September 11th.
“The crane is the main equipment we need to remove the telescope from the observatory,” Caltech physics professor and CSO Director Sunil Golwala said. “Once the telescope is removed, initial demolition work will follow.”
Caltech invites the media and public to track the deconstruction and removal of the telescope on Caltech’s website here.
Previous press releases regarding removal of the CSO telescope can be found here: June 2023 Release; August 2023 Release.
More information on the decommissioning, including all related planning documents and permits can be found here: http://www.cso.caltech.edu/wiki/cso/outreach/outreach.
The CSO came online in 1987 and was used by scientists at Caltech and other institutions, including almost 200 student and postdoctoral researchers, to open a new submillimeter window on the universe. A summary of CSO’s contributions to astronomy and astronomical instrumentation are available http://www.cso.caltech.edu/wiki/cso/science/overview.
About Caltech: Caltech is a world-renowned private science and engineering Institute located in Pasadena, California, that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions and pressing societal challenges.
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