Foreseen Changes regarding Paranal Instrumentation and Facilities

UT instruments and facilities

  • CRIRES is being transformed into a cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph. It is expected to be back in operation in 2017.
  • It is expected that XSHOOTER will undergo an intervention lasting up to 6 months in the coming periods during which the instrument will not be available for operations. The main aim of the intervention is to fix the ADC systems.
  • Installation of ESPRESSO, the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations, is expected to start in 2016.

Activities related to the installation of the Adaptive Optics Facility on UT4 (Yepun)

  • GALACSI, the adaptive optics module for MUSE, is expected to be installed on Nasmyth B during Period 97 during which MUSE will be unavailable for approximately two weeks.
  • The installation of the Deformable Secondary Mirror and re-commissioning of the telescope is expected to take place in October 2016; as a consequence, UT4 will not be available for approximately 2 months.
  • The commissioning of the AOF and AOF-related systems is expected to require monthly slots of up to 7 days during possibly 2 years.

VLTI instruments and facilites

  • Installation of MATISSE, the Multi AperTure mid-Infrared SpectroScopic Experiment, is expected to start in Period 97 and its commissioning in Period 98.
  • The installation of units 2, 3 and 4 of the GRAVITY Coud Infrared Adaptive Optics (CIAO) system for the VLT Interferometer is expected to take place during Period 97, during which the corresponding UT will not be available for VLTI operation. The commissioning of each of these units is expected to require approximately 10 half-nights.
  • The installation and commissioning of the New Adaptive Optics Module for Interferometry (NAOMI), the low order adaptive optics system for the ATs, is expected to start in 2017. The schedule currently foresees the installation of one unit every 3 months during which the corresponding AT will not be available for regular operation for approximately two weeks.