ESO DOI Service

• Martinez, Pascal [European Southern Observatory (ESO)]
• and the ELT Team

In the ongoing saga of constructing an 80-metre-high dome and an expansive telescope structure for ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the narrative unfolds as a testament to human resilience and determination. Originating from a contract signed in 2016, the Dome and Main Structure (DMS) project has survived financial restructuring, partner bankruptcy and global upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and market fluctuations that resulted in a complex contractual and commercial situation. The DMS project includes the construction of both the internal telescope structure that supports the telescope mirrors and the instruments, as well as the external dome that provides protection against the harsh conditions of the Atacama Desert. Following the design phase, the project started with the construction of the foundations and of the gigantic dome. In September 2023 a new chapter began, marked by the start of the construction of the telescope structure, a phase demanding an unprecedented level of precision and constant supervision by the ESO team on site. The design, born from a collaboration of many disciplines, is now consolidated and frozen, setting the stage for a race against time to achieve the highest possible level of quality demanded by the ‘biggest eye on the sky’.