07-04-2026, 08:06 PM
Another Big Island institution lost, partly due to federal funding cuts:
Aging facilities and funding challenges, especially given the expiration of the UH master lease in 2033, in addition to the obligations contained in the UH Master Plan, led to the decision to end science operations. The U.S. Naval Observatory has sponsored scientific research at UKIRT for many years, supporting decades of discovery through the telescope.
https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/07/02/u...issioning/
The warning from last year:
The proposed NSA and NASA budget for astronomy seem to make little sense, he said, because they would slash operational funding for facilities that cost billions of dollars to design and construct. Plus, they are still producing top-tier research.
https://civilbeat.org/2025/06/hawai%CA%B...eral-cuts/
Aging facilities and funding challenges, especially given the expiration of the UH master lease in 2033, in addition to the obligations contained in the UH Master Plan, led to the decision to end science operations. The U.S. Naval Observatory has sponsored scientific research at UKIRT for many years, supporting decades of discovery through the telescope.
https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/07/02/u...issioning/
The warning from last year:
The proposed NSA and NASA budget for astronomy seem to make little sense, he said, because they would slash operational funding for facilities that cost billions of dollars to design and construct. Plus, they are still producing top-tier research.
https://civilbeat.org/2025/06/hawai%CA%B...eral-cuts/