The government promises 400 million euros to bring the Thirty Meter Telescope to Spain, which Trump wants to cancel.

The government today pledged €400 million to finance the construction of theThirty Meter Telescope on the Canary Island of La Palma. The project, promoted by the United States and located on Hawaii, is in jeopardy due to the Trump administration's decision to cancel its funding. The cut is Spain's clearest opportunity yet to take home what would be the largest optical observatory in the Northern Hemisphere, as La Palma had already been chosen as an alternative location due to the quality of its skies.
Construction of the TMT has been on the brink several times due to fierce Native American opposition to the project, which would be built on Mauna Kea, a mountain already home to several world-class observatories. In 2019, the telescope consortium, made up of Japan, Canada, India, and several American universities, including the University of California, decided to move forward with this location. But Donald Trump's budget cut to the National Science Foundation includes not spending a single dollar more on this project, diverting $1.6 billion to another major astronomical project, the Giant Magellan Telescope, to be built in Chile. The decision came as a surprise, as a panel of US scientists had recommended the construction of both projects .
The Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant , announced this Wednesday up to 400 million euros to revive the project to build the TMT in La Palma, specifically at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, according to ministry sources. The Gran Telescopio de Canarias (Great Canary Islands Telescope) is already operating there, and at 10 meters in diameter, it is currently the largest optical observatory in the world. The TMT would triple the astronomical observation capacity and allow for the observation of the first galaxies in the universe, including the first planet twin to Earth, if one is ever discovered. Morant made the announcement this afternoon after the meeting of the governing council of the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics, which she chaired.
Morant confirmed that the Spanish government has already submitted this offer to the Foundation that manages the TMT. Funding would be channeled through the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI). "Given the risk of paralyzing this major international scientific project, the Spanish government has decided to act with a redoubled commitment to science and major scientific infrastructures for the benefit of global knowledge," Morant asserted.
The project now faces significant uncertainty. "So far, about a billion dollars have been spent on the project's design, another billion has been secured, but another billion is needed to be able to build it," IAC director Valentín Martínez-Pillet explained to EL PAÍS. The astronomer believes that the way to secure all the missing funding is through a European initiative that would ensure full financing for the construction, which would take 10 years.
Chile will not only host the GMT, but also the European-funded Extremely Large Telescope , which will be almost 40 meters in diameter. “It would be very sad to have enormous capabilities in the southern hemisphere and not have them in the north, because from here we can observe astronomical objects that are not visible from the south. It's something that has never happened,” explains the IAC director.
Proponents of the Canary Islands option assert that construction of the TMT could begin immediately, as the project has all the necessary permits , valid until September 2026.
The project would be decisive for the island's economy. It would generate approximately €400 million in construction and approximately 150 jobs for observatory operators, as well as several tens of millions of euros in operations each year, according to IAC calculations. "If astrophysics currently contributes 3% of La Palma's GDP, with the TMT it would jump to 6%," Martínez-Pillet emphasizes. "The most important thing is that if the TMT ultimately doesn't come to fruition, the world's astrophysics will be conducted in Chile and not in the Canary Islands, and in 10 years, La Palma will cease to be globally competitive," he adds.
The problems for the TMT began in 2014, when it was decided to begin construction on Mauna Kea, Hawaii's highest peak, which the native people consider sacred. Opponents blocked roads and halted construction. The project was criticized with a campaign of lies on social media, such as claiming the installation was a laser weapon controlled by China or that it would be nuclear-powered. At the same time, a lengthy legal battle began, which ended in 2019. Even so, construction has been completely halted until now.
In Spain, however, the project has always enjoyed the support of all relevant institutions at all levels. The former Minister of Science, Pedro Duque, worked hard to bring the TMT to the Canary Islands. After the budgetary setback in the United States, the project to host this facility became a possibility again, and the IAC began knocking on the doors of the authorities to revive it.
During a press conference following the council meeting, Minister Morant also announced that the IAC's budget will increase by almost two million euros in 2025, to a total of 18.6 million.
EL PAÍS