Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda to build a new radio telescope on Gran Canaria

The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) is going to build a new radio telescope in Gran Canaria. The announcement was made during the presentation ceremony of the Gran Canaria Station of the Atlantic Network of Geodynamic and Spatial Stations (RAEGE), on the land ceded by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria to the National Geographic Institute in Altos de Temisas (Agüimes).

It will be part of the Spanish-Portuguese Atlantic Network of Geodynamic and Space Stations (RAEGE) project and will become operational in 2025.

In 2010, the NGI launched the RAEGE project with the aim of building four geodetic stations to be integrated into the GGOS (Global Geodetic Observing System) for global Earth observation, the purpose of which is to measure and monitor spatial and temporal changes in the shape and geometry, gravitational field and orientation of the Earth in space.

The measurements produced by a system of this kind allow us to extend our knowledge of our planetary processes, monitor global changes such as mean sea level, and establish accurate and stable reference frames for precise positioning and satellite navigation. With these data, the ability to predict the future behaviour of the Earth system can be enhanced.

Gran Canaria Station

The Gran Canaria geodetic station will have a radio telescope with astronomical and geodetic observation capabilities, GNSS (global navigation satellite systems) receivers, gravimeters and other geophysical instrumentation such as seismographs. It will also have two domes for near-Earth object detection (NEOS) and for geodetic observation and tracking of artificial satellites by laser ranging (SLR).

Following various preliminary studies, the IGN first had to select a suitable site in the Temisas area. The necessary land was acquired by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, which subsequently approved its transfer to the IGN on 20 March at a meeting of the Governing Council. The IGN already has the construction project for the station. The radio telescope is now ready for assembly. The station is expected to be fully operational by 2025.

Among other scientific-technical resources, the RAEGE station in Gran Canaria will have a new first-class radio telescope, of the type that Spain is an international leader in, and will have associated collaborations with universities and associations such as the University of Las Palmas and the Astronomical Observatory of Temisas.

The event was presided over by the President of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Antonio Morález, and included interventions from the Director General of the NGI, Lorenzo García Asensio, and the Deputy Director General of Astronomy and Geodesy of the NGI, José Antonio López Fernández. Also in attendance, among other authorities, was the mayor of Agüimes, Óscar Hernández.

Non official translation