UT Austin Welcomes MIT to Giant Magellan Telescope International Consortium

The University of Texas at Austin joins with other members of the Giant Magellan Telescope today in welcoming the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to the international consortium, constructing the $2.6 billion observatory in Chile. The Institute’s participation is enabled by a gift to MIT from philanthropists Phillip (Terry) Ragon ’72 and Susan Ragon.

“MIT is a world-renowned academic institution whose excellence in science, engineering, and discovery makes it a natural partner for us,” said Robert Shelton, president of the Giant Magellan Telescope. “MIT brings critical expertise and momentum at a time when global leadership in astronomy hangs in the balance. With MIT, we are not just adding a partner; we are accelerating a shared vision for the future and reinforcing the United States’ position at the forefront of science.”

“We are excited to welcome MIT as the Giant Magellan Telescope’s newest partner,” added David Vanden Bout, dean of UT Austin’s College of Natural Sciences. “Bringing this incredible instrument online requires meaningful collaborations at a level that represents truly the best of the scientific enterprise. From its construction to its funding to the future research it will enable, the Giant Magellan Telescope reflects the value of strong partnerships, and MIT’s support of the telescope brings us a significant step closer to unlocking what promises to be a revolutionary new view into the universe.”

The private research university becomes the 16th member of the international consortium advancing the Giant Magellan Telescope and the 10th based in the United States. Together, the consortium brings more than 600 years of combined experience in building the world’s most powerful telescopes and has invested $1 billion in the Giant Magellan Telescope — the largest-ever private investment in ground-based astronomy. The Giant Magellan Telescope is already 40% under construction, with major components being designed and manufactured across 36 US states.

“As the recipient of more private investment than any other ground-based observatory to date, the Giant Magellan Telescope represents an unprecedented collective effort.” said Taft Armandroff, director of UT Austin’s McDonald Observatory and vice chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope’s Board of Directors. “The generosity of all in the consortium represents a gift to science and to our understanding of humanity’s place in the cosmos. We are proud to stand with MIT in this endeavor.”

“MIT is honored to join the consortium and participate in this exceptional scientific endeavor,” added Ian A. Waitz, MIT’s vice president for research. “The Giant Magellan Telescope will bring tremendous new capabilities to MIT astronomy and to U.S. leadership in fundamental science.”

MIT brings to the consortium powerful scientific capabilities and a legacy of astronomical excellence. MIT’s Departments of Physics and Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, and the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research are internationally recognized for research in exoplanets, cosmology, and environments of extreme gravity such as black holes and compact binary stars. MIT’s involvement will strengthen the Giant Magellan Telescope’s unique capabilities in high-resolution spectroscopy, adaptive optics, and the search for life beyond Earth. It also deepens a long-standing scientific relationship: MIT is already a partner in the existing twin Magellan Telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile — one of the most scientifically valuable observing sites on Earth and the same site where the Giant Magellan Telescope is now under construction.

“Since Galileo’s first spyglass, the world’s largest telescope has doubled in aperture every 40 to 50 years,” said Robert A. Simcoe, director of the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. “Each generation’s leading instruments have resolved important scientific questions of the day and then surprised their builders with new discoveries not yet even imagined. Together with the Giant Magellan Telescope, MIT is helping to realize our generation’s contribution to this lineage, consistent with our mission to advance the frontier of fundamental science by undertaking the most audacious and advanced engineering challenges.”

MIT’s support comes at a pivotal time for the observatory. In June 2025, the National Science Foundation (NSF) advanced the Giant Magellan Telescope into its Final Design Phase, one of the final steps before it becomes eligible for federal construction funding. To demonstrate readiness and a strong commitment to U.S. leadership, the consortium offered to privately fund this phase, which is traditionally supported by the NSF. MIT’s investment is an integral part of the national strategy to secure U.S. access to the next generation of research facilities known as “extremely large telescopes,” which will have five times the light-collecting area and up to 200 times the power of today’s observatories.

Thanks to MIT’s participation, the US is now a step closer to completing the promise of this powerful new observatory on a globally competitive timeline. With federal construction funding, it is expected that the observatory could reach 90% completion in less than two years and become operational by the 2030s.