A Major Step for European Solar Astronomy
The European Solar Telescope (EST) project has reached a decisive milestone with the successful completion of its Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for its buildings and civil works. The review panel gave the plans a highly positive assessment, marking the official start of the detailed design and construction phase for the infrastructure that will house Europe’s largest solar telescope, as reported by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).
Successful Review in Tenerife
The review process began on September 2nd and concluded with in-person meetings on October 21st and 22nd at the IACTEC facilities in Tenerife. During these sessions, experts from various fields discussed the key aspects of the preliminary designs with the EST technical team. These designs cover all the necessary buildings, facilities, and civil works required for the telescope’s future home at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma.
Expert Panel Praises Project Quality
The review panel was chaired by Fernando Rueda from the Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón. It included Manuel García Román from the Universidad de La Laguna as a reviewer, with Javier Herrera and Jorge Gmelch from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Miguel Estéves from the Institut für Sonnenphysik, and Vicente Sánchez acting as observers. The panel unanimously highlighted the high technical quality, rigor, and maturity of the reviewed documentation.
The Team Behind the Telescope
Representing the EST project were Héctor Socas, Director of the Canarian EST Foundation; Manuel Collados, Principal Investigator from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; Mary Barreto, Technical Director and Project Manager; and Alejandra Martín, Administrator of the Canarian EST Foundation. The meeting was also attended by the leads of the various engineering areas who are spearheading the project’s technical development: Yanira Carballo (Buildings and Civil Works), Juan Cózar (Mechanical Engineering), Miguel Núñez (Systems Engineering), Jorge Quintero (Control Engineering), Claudia Ruiz (Instrument Systems), and Pedro García (Facilities).
Paving the Way for Construction
The successful review reinforces the solidity of the work completed so far and allows the project to move forward with maximum guarantees of technical and operational quality toward the construction of the infrastructure for the European Solar Telescope. The next step involves drafting the Basic Project and processing the environmental permits throughout the coming year, which must be completed before the physical construction phase can begin.
