French contribution to the instrumentation of the Extremely Large Telescope, coordinated by the CNRS delegation Paris-Normandie.
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) is building the largest telescope ever conceived for optical and infrared astronomical observation, the 39-meter-diameter Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Construction work at Cerro Armazones made impressive progress in 2023, with the completion of the foundations, the wall and almost the entire metal structure supporting the telescope dome. The infrastructure required to supply the telescope with electricity and fluids is under construction. The photovoltaic power plant to supply Paranal-Armazones is operational (9 MW). The telescope has passed the 50% completion mark.
EquipEx+ F_CELT supports the French contribution to the instruments that will equip the telescope. The 4 1st light instruments (MICADO, MORFEO, METIS and HARMONI) are all in the Final Design Review (FDR) process with ESO. The 2 1st generation instruments (MOSAIC and ANDES) have both started their phase B, which should conclude with a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) with ESO. First light from the ELT telescope is scheduled for 2028. The 1st light instruments, notably MICADO, METIS and HARMONI, will be installed and validated on the telescope at the same time. The 1st generation instruments (MOSAIC and ANDES) will arrive between 2030 and 2032.
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| Project name | F-CELT |
| Operator | French National Research Agency |
| Year of certification | 2021 |
| Grant France 2030 | 7.8 million euros |
| Project partners | CNRS delegation Paris-Normandie, Aix Marseille Université, Université Grenoble Alpes, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (Nice), Université de Lyon I (Claude Bernard), Université de Toulouse III (Paul Sabatier), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Université de Franche Comté, Université Paris Cité, CEA Saclay, Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales
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