For more than sixty years the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey has presented comprehensive recommendations for making strategic federal investments that are critical to achieving transformational advances in US astronomy. For the 2020s, the Giant Magellan Telescope was evaluated as a core partner in the US Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP) and is issuing this statement:

The US Extremely Large Telescope Program is grateful for the Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy & Astrophysics for the 2020s Decadal Survey process and is now reviewing the recommendations in detail. The Decadal Survey has a rich history of driving technological innovation and expanding scientific boundaries, and we are proud to be part of that story. Our visionary program aims to provide US astronomers with nationally-funded observing access to the entire sky. The program consists of three partners: NSF’s NOIRLab and the two organizations building the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Thirty Meter Telescope.

We thank the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for leading the Pathways to Discovery Decadal Survey, and to all members of our community who wrote white papers, sat on panels, provided expert input, and devoted time to the Decadal Survey process. We would also like to honor the international partners whose early and ongoing contributions have been crucial in conceiving, designing, and building the Giant Magellan Telescope and Thirty Meter Telescope.

We will be issuing detailed statements about the Pathways to Discovery Decadal Survey recommendations soon.

To learn more about the US-ELTP and read our official statement, visit noirlab.edu/us-eltp

To learn more about the Pathways to Discovery report, visit the National Academies website.