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British researchers and industry are to play a leading role in one of the biggest global science collaborations in history, after the UK government confirmed a long-term investment in the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) to be built in Chile.
The Extremely Large Telescope will study the effects of dark matter, energy and planets outside of the solar system. The telescope will have a 39m diameter mirror, able to collect 15 times more light than any existing telescope and produce images 16 times sharper than the Hubble space-based telescope.
British involvement in the project will be overseen by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC), which said that the £88 million investment will ensure that UK scientists and engineers will be heavily involved in the construction and operation of the telescope and its instruments. UK industry has already won £9 million worth of contracts, and that figure is predicted to increase ten-fold before 2023 when construction is expected to be completed.
Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said: “This investment reaffirms the government’s commitment to cutting edge science. It will ensure the UK plays a leading role in a ground-breaking international project and that our world-class research base has access to the latest equipment. Not only will this new telescope considerably increase knowledge of the universe, its construction will drive growth and innovation for UK industry. This is why space is one of our eight great technologies.
Technology developed for astronomy is already being applied across many sectors said the STFC, including extending the life of artificial knee joints, diagnosing eye diseases, improving the performance of industrial lasers and laser fusion research.
Professor Colin Cunningham, from STFC's UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC and leader of the UK E-ELT Project Office, said: “UK teams of scientists and engineers have built strong positions over the last few years to enable them to make major contributions to the instruments, telescope engineering and optical systems. We look forward to UK industry making competitive bids for contracts to supply optical devices, detectors, software and engineering services for this challenging project. This will culminate in UK astronomers having the opportunity to make breakthrough discoveries in exoplanet research and in understanding the origins and evolution of galaxies.”
The UK has already led the development of the science case for the telescope, developed instrument designs, optical technologies and telescope systems and manufacturing processes. The UK instrument programme will be delivered in close collaborations between Durham University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the STFC’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre and RAL Space, together with leading international institutes.
A UK technology development centre based in North Wales is delivering prototypes for the primary mirror system, which will consist of 798 hexagonal mirrors each 1.4m wide. This development is aimed at securing a potential €100 million order for UK industry to manufacture the production segments.
More information on the UK's role in the E-ELT can be found here (link opens in a new window).