This giant telescope could discover habitable exoplanets and secrets of our universe — if it gets its funding

The Giant Magellan Telescope project is gearing up for a crucial 12–24 months, with their final design phase underway as the team behind the project seek further funding to make the dream of the 25.4-meter (83 feet) multi-mirror telescope a reality.

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) Consortium of 16 universities and research institutions held their first ever summit on April 14th. The summit acted as a way to update academics, the media and the public on how design and construction of the telescope is proceeding following the National Science Foundation (NSF) officially advancing the project to its final design phase in the summer of 2025.

"This is one of the final steps that the project must take before it can be considered for federal funding," Daniel Jaffe, who is the President of the GMT Consortium and a former head of astronomy at the University of Texas, Austin, said during the summit. "Over the past five years the telescope has passed every independent, federally required review. Now my immediate focus is in successfully completing the NSF's final design phase by mid-2027. Pending approval by the NSF and Congress, the Giant Magellan Telescope will enter the beginning of full-scale construction in the fiscal year 2028."

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