A Major Milestone for European Astronomy
The European Solar Telescope (EST) project has reached a decisive milestone, successfully completing its Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for Buildings and Civil Works. The review panel of experts 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, according to the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).
Rigorous Review at IACTEC
The review process, which began on September 2nd, culminated with in-person meetings on October 21st and 22nd at the IACTEC facilities in Tenerife. During these sessions, specialists from various fields met with the EST technical team to discuss the key aspects of the preliminary designs. These designs cover all the necessary buildings, facilities, and civil works for the telescope’s future home at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma.
Expert Consensus on Design 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 participating as observers. The panel unanimously emphasized the high technical quality, rigor, and maturity of the documentation presented.
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 also included the leads of the various engineering areas driving 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 advance with maximum guarantees of technical and operational quality toward the construction of the infrastructure for the European Solar Telescope. The next steps involve drafting the Basic Project and processing the environmental permits, which are scheduled to take place throughout the coming year, before the physical construction phase can begin.
