Sites
As a “Global Telescope Network,” we are carefully planning each site location not only to make sure we have 24/7 all-sky coverage, but we also take into account weather, seeing, accessibility, and more.
Our current working sites are located on Haleakala, Maui (Faulkes Telescope North) and Siding Spring, Australia (Faulkes Telescope South). Two more sites, which will complete the Southern ring, are in progress of being built. Chile (CTIO) is nearly ready to receive its first set of telescopes, which will most likely occur in early 2011. South Africa (SAAO) is planning on having all the foundation and utility prep work completed by January 1, 2011 and then continuing with . We will also be placing more telescopes in Australia, and are looking at Siding Spring and a couple of sites in Western Australia (waiting for instruments to be sent to monitor the weather, clouds, and seeing).
In addition to Maui for the Northern ring, agreements are being set with McDonald Observatory in Texas and Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. Both sites are currently in the planning stages with construction to begin at both towards the beginning of Spring next year. We are also looking at a few sites in China to close the gap in longitude, all have been visited but require more thought and data.
Telescope Assembly
The last batch of 0.4m telescopes are being assembled from stripped down tubes to the completed product ready for testing. Two of the 0.4ms are currently being tested in the back parking lot of the LCOGT offices, with a growing line waiting their turn. There will be a total of 24 of these telescopes, deployed in pairs (two 0.4m telescopes per each Aqawan enclosure), with two or three pairs at each site.
Other than one 1.0m telescope being tested in the back parking lot, there are a total of five mounts being assembled in the warehouse. A few pairs of primary and secondary mirrors have arrived after starting in Tuscon, Arizona at Hextek as blanks and then going to LZOS in Russia to be ground and polished. There will be a total of about eighteen 1.0m telescopes, with either two or three being deployed at each site.
The software team is focusing on getting the new telescope control software and the network scheduler working. A presentation of the progress was presented at the meeting of the Science Advisory Committee last week, all of whom were very impressed with how far the software has come and the capabilities it will have.
