Officials in Hawaii announced a notice to proceed on the construction of the state’s Thirty Meter Telescope project, drawing ire from some Hawaiians who consider its planned location sacred.
The mega-telescope, which will cost $1.4 billion, will be built on the mountain summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island, Hawaii’s highest point. The announcement follows a yearslong battle over the project, according to the Associated Press.
Mauna Kea is considered by many scientists to be one of the best locations on the planet for astronomical observation. Several smaller telescopes and observatories are already present on the mountain.
Some residents of Hawaii objected to the telescope project, claiming that the mountain summit is a sacred place, and the telescope will desecrate the land. The Thirty Meter Telescope project has been plagued with legal battles for years, stemming from both the cost of the telescope and the protests of Native Hawaiians.
The state Supreme Court ruled 4-1 in favor of the project last October.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige said in a Thursday news conference, “We expect that TMT construction will begin sometime this summer. We will proceed in a way that respects the people, place and culture that make Hawaii unique.”
Of those displeased with the outcome, Ige said, “The world is not black and white. This is not an oil pipeline. It is a telescope to look into the very origins of life in the universe.”
