- Start
- Dec 31, 202690% CONFIDENCEfrom nsf.gov · possible Dec 31, 2026 – Jun 1, 2027
Thirty Meter Telescope Decision Deadline
- The Thirty Meter Telescope is a proposed extremely large telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, with a 492-segment primary mirror; construction began in 2014 but has been halted since 2015, with first light "TBD, possibly never"[1]
- Native Hawaiian opposition over the sacredness of Mauna Kea led to protests in 2015 and 2019 that halted construction[1][3]
- NSF will not decide on funding until its environmental review is done; it extended the anticipated end of the review to 31 December 2026, which matches the pin's decision-deadline date, and has delayed Section 106 consultations[2]
- Civil Beat (March 2026) reports a funding shortfall of about $1 billion of an estimated $3 billion, after NSF recommended the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile; an appropriations bill directs NSF to advance both telescopes to final design review at no extra cost[3]
- The observatory is exploring the Canary Islands, but the Big Island remains its top site; a new Mauna Kea authority takes over land management in 2028[3]
References 368% CONFIDENCE
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]40%en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Meter_Telescopeen.wikipedia.org· Posted Sep 11, 2026· Starts Jun 1, 2027· 40% of score
Date has moved, per the pin description: "…. A 30-metre segmented-mirror telescope stalled for a decade by opposition to building on Mauna Kea,…"
- [2]90%Thirty Meter Telescope - Environmental Compliancensf.gov· Added Sep 15, 2026· Starts Dec 31, 2026 ✓· 41% of score
The National Science Foundation's own page states NSF extended its environmental review of the Thirty Meter Telescope (a required step before any Mauna Kea vs. La Palma site decision) to conclude by 31 December 2026, a concrete near-term deadline closer than the pin's stored June 2027 date.
- [3]80%The Thirty Meter Telescope Is Still Alive - For Nowcivilbeat.org· Published Mar 1, 2026· 19% of score
Honolulu Civil Beat reports the same NSF[2] and University of Hawaii timeline: environmental review through end of 2026, with Mauna Kea management needing to finalize which observatories continue by January 2027, corroborating the decision-timeline pressure the pin describes.
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