Statement from NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan on the release of the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope External Evaluation Panel Report

The U.S. National Science Foundation is grateful to the panel of independent experts commissioned to evaluate the readiness of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), components of the U.S. Extremely Large Telescopes (U.S.-ELT) program, to advance into Final Design Phase. The Extremely Large Telescopes are exceptionally important projects that remain among the highest priorities of the astronomy community. They are also key to the United States' continued leadership in astronomy and place at the vanguard of innovation in science and engineering. NSF agrees with the panel's findings that the success of the U.S.-ELT program hinges on securing the necessary resources from Congress. NSF is grateful for the sustained significant bi-partisan support and looks forward to continuing to work with the White House, Congress and the community to be able to advance to the next phase of the process.