The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer partners' national strategic planning reports were released in late 2021, including the US Astro2020 findings and recommendations. This paper is a two-part summary of the project's response to the reports’ recommendations. The first part incorporates additional considerations due to the State of Hawai’i House Bill 2024 and its new Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, and their effects on the Maunakea Observatories and MSE, specifically. The second part summarizes the national strategic planning recommendations specific to MSE and states our plan to progress MSE as we prepare to enter the next project phase. The stated plan in the second part of this paper describes our programmatic planning within the partnership for public outreach, technology development, and risk mitigation in response to the national strategic planning recommendations including community-based engagement related to the renewal of the Canada, France and Hawai’i Telescope (CFHT) site lease under the new authority. Since the Maunakea Master Lease renewal process is replaced by separate negotiations for individual observatory site leases, the paper also highlights our approach to secure continuous access to Maunakea for MSE.
The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer project’s preliminary design phase start coincides with planned and unplanned events in the national and international astronomy landscape. As the decade draws to a close, most MSE participants are undergoing national strategic planning for key future astronomical development. There are processes similar to the Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics in the US. Much of the Project Office activities since our last 2018 report have been aligned in supporting these strategic plans. A vital activity related to the Maunakea Observatories (MKO), including the Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) Corporation and Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer, is to secure future access to the mountain for astronomy as affected by the current protest over the Thirty Meter Telescope. Much of the MKO activities have been centered on ensuring the long-term success of astronomy on the mountain beyond 2033. However, the most significant unplanned activity has been managing progress through the ongoing COVID pandemic and anticipating its effects on the timeline and efficacy of upcoming national strategic planning recommendations for astronomy among other national priorities. This paper provides a status report of MSE as it enters the preliminary design phase, and our plan to progress and manage changes in an evolving national and international astronomy landscape.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.