09-30-2017, 08:27 AM
This was copied from the University of Hawaii's EIS preparation notice for a new master lease issued in January 2015. Yes, they are in the process of redoing the EIS to extend the lease, but this gives a good snapshot of which telescopes plans to decommission, or continue operating after 2033.
• TMT would remain in service through the end of the new master lease;
• CSO is expected to decommission on or about 2018;
• For the other two submillimeter facilities, James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and SMA, current plans foresee only one continuing after 2033;
• Current plans do not foresee either a major modification of the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) or redevelopment of the UKIRT site. So, in view of its age, it seems quite possible that UKIRT will decommission within 20 years.
• Current plans assume that the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) Antenna will not continue beyond the end of its current sublease (2033).
• If the new master lease is approved, and the funding and necessary permits are secured, CFHT is likely to proceed with the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) project, placing a 10-meter Keck-type telescope on the existing CFHT pier under a new dome. If this occurs, the facility would suspend operation sometime in the next 5-8 years and reopen about 3 years later, operating through the end of 2079.
• If the new master lease is approved, the UH Hilo Hokukea Telescope would be expected to continue more or less in its current concept for 30-40 years. The UH 2.2-m Telescope is likely to continue for that period as well, but there would be a concerted effort to recycle this site with a more modern telescope of approximately the same overall size. Whether or not the recycling can actually occur will depend upon whether UH is able to raise the necessary funds.
• Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) may continue for 10-20 years in its current form, but after that will either decommission or will have a major renovation to install a more modern telescope in a facility with similar characteristics. Whether this happens will depend on what priority National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) gives to having a ground-based O/IR facility to support its space mission, particularly after Hubble is gone.
• Keck I and II, Gemini, and Subaru, which are now in the prime of life, have indicated a strong interest in extending their subleases if a new master lease is granted. In all likelihood they would continue operating without major change for 30-40 years. After that (i.e., in the latter part of the period covered by a new master lease) they could be modified or they might be decommissioned.
• TMT would remain in service through the end of the new master lease;
• CSO is expected to decommission on or about 2018;
• For the other two submillimeter facilities, James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and SMA, current plans foresee only one continuing after 2033;
• Current plans do not foresee either a major modification of the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) or redevelopment of the UKIRT site. So, in view of its age, it seems quite possible that UKIRT will decommission within 20 years.
• Current plans assume that the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) Antenna will not continue beyond the end of its current sublease (2033).
• If the new master lease is approved, and the funding and necessary permits are secured, CFHT is likely to proceed with the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) project, placing a 10-meter Keck-type telescope on the existing CFHT pier under a new dome. If this occurs, the facility would suspend operation sometime in the next 5-8 years and reopen about 3 years later, operating through the end of 2079.
• If the new master lease is approved, the UH Hilo Hokukea Telescope would be expected to continue more or less in its current concept for 30-40 years. The UH 2.2-m Telescope is likely to continue for that period as well, but there would be a concerted effort to recycle this site with a more modern telescope of approximately the same overall size. Whether or not the recycling can actually occur will depend upon whether UH is able to raise the necessary funds.
• Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) may continue for 10-20 years in its current form, but after that will either decommission or will have a major renovation to install a more modern telescope in a facility with similar characteristics. Whether this happens will depend on what priority National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) gives to having a ground-based O/IR facility to support its space mission, particularly after Hubble is gone.
• Keck I and II, Gemini, and Subaru, which are now in the prime of life, have indicated a strong interest in extending their subleases if a new master lease is granted. In all likelihood they would continue operating without major change for 30-40 years. After that (i.e., in the latter part of the period covered by a new master lease) they could be modified or they might be decommissioned.