Vancouver, British Columbia - 6 April 2015
As part of its efforts to support research excellence in areas of Canadian strength, the Government of Canada has invested in transformative infrastructure projects supporting Canada’s key research strengths, such as astronomy and astrophysics, and engaged in international partnerships that foster ambitious scientific achievements in these disciplines.
To this end, on April 6, 2015, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the Government of Canada’s intention to provide up to $243.5 million over 10 years to support Canada’s participation in the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), an international project that will build one of the world’s largest and most advanced astronomical observatories in Hawaii. Overall projects costs are expected to total U.S. $1.5 billion. Other partners in the project are Japan, China, India, as well as the California Institute of Technology and the University of California from the United States.
The TMT project was founded by the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy, whose membership includes 20 universities across the country. The TMT is the result of more than a decade of scientific consultations, thorough design and planning.
The TMT will be constructed at the summit of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano, a site hosting several international observatories due to its high altitude and dry climate. It belongs to the next generation class of telescopes called very large optical telescopes, which are expected to lead the next wave of scientific discoveries. When completed, the TMT will be the world’s most advanced, ground-based observatory and one of the world’s largest and most powerful telescopes – nearly three times the size of the largest telescopes that currently exist. The TMT will enable astronomers to study a broad range of astrophysical phenomena, including the processes that lead to star and planet formation, the investigation of supermassive black holes, as well as the star-by-star observation of galaxies located several million light years away.
The majority of the Government’s support for the TMT will be spent in Canada creating high-quality jobs related to the construction and assembly of key telescope components, including a precision-steel enclosure by Dynamic Structures Limited, based in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, and cutting-edge adaptive optics technologies, to be developed by the National Research Council in partnership with Canadian companies. As part of the project, dozens of Canadian businesses are expected to develop advanced industrial capabilities and products transferable to future applications in the health, defence and telecommunications sectors – helping to create and maintain high-quality jobs in communities across Canada.
Canada’s contribution will also secure a viewing share for Canadian researchers at the TMT once it is operational in 2023-2024. This access will help to maintain Canadian scientific leadership in astronomy, paving the way to important scientific discoveries and helping to train highly-qualified personnel at post-secondary institutions across the country. Canada’s pursuit of new scientific discoveries will also help spark young Canadians’ interest in science disciplines for decades to come.
A total of $30 million was previously provided from Canadian sources over multiple years to support the TMT’s pre-construction activities, mainly by the National Research Council and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The Foundation’s support was accessed by the University of Toronto on behalf of the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy, and supplemented by the provincial governments of Ontario and British Columbia.
The Government’s current investment is guided by the 10-year Long Range Plan for Astronomy and Astrophysics developed by the Canadian Astronomical Society in 2010, in consultation with post-secondary and government research communities, which identifies the TMT as its top priority.
The final details of Canada’s participation in the construction and commissioning of the TMT are to be discussed by the partnership’s Board of Governors at an upcoming Board meeting.
The TMT is one of many initiatives the Government is supporting to promote Canadian strengths in astronomy, astrophysics and related technologies. Other actions include the Canadian Space Agency’s participation in international space-based astronomy missions including the development of the James Webb Space Telescope, in collaboration with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency; the awarding of an $8.8 million contract to develop the OSIRIS-Rex Laser Altimeter, a sophisticated laser-based mapping system that will be used to create unprecedented 3D images of asteroids; and the providing of $6.7 million to support the development of products to better use RADARSAT data for Earth observation missions, which will survey 90 per cent of the globe.
As well, since 2006 the Government of Canada has committed more than $11 billion in new funding for science, technology and innovation initiatives, stimulating business productivity and competitiveness and economic growth to secure Canada’s future.
