Contributed Telescope Access¶
This page lists the facilities expected to be made available via the Vera C. Rubin Observatory In-kind Program. The information on this page is subject to change. Final information on resources, time availability, and other pertinent information will be provided as part of the NOIRLab Call for Proposals each semester. Unless otherwise noted, this time will be made available via the NOIRLab Time Allocation Process.
Summary Table¶
Facility |
Location |
Instrumentation |
In-kind Contribution ID |
First Semester |
Time Available |
Duration |
Gran Canary Telescope (GTC) 10.4m |
La Palma, Spain |
Imaging and Spectroscopy |
ESP-BCM-S5 ESP-IAC-S1 |
2026A |
2 nights / semester |
10 years |
South African Large Telescope (SALT) 9.2m |
SAAO, South Africa |
Imaging and Spectroscopy |
SZA-SAA-S1 |
2026A |
25 hours / semester |
10 years |
Subaru Telescope 8.4m |
maunakea, USA |
Imaging and Spectroscopy |
JAP-JPG-S1 |
2026A |
5 nights / year |
10 years |
Large Binocular Telescope 2x8.4m |
Mt. Graham, USA |
Imaging and Spectroscopy |
ITA-INA-S18 |
2026A |
20 hours |
through FY34 |
VLT Survey Telescope 2.6m |
Cerro Paranal, Chile |
Imaging |
ITA-INA-S18 |
2026A |
35 nights / year |
through FY34 |
Nordic Optical Telescope 2.56m |
La Palma, Spain |
Spectroscopic classification of SNe |
SWE-STK-S3 |
2025A |
70 hours / semester |
2 years |
Trans-Pacific Two-Meter Telescope 2m |
San Pedro Martir, Mexico |
TBA |
TAI-NCU-S1 |
TBA |
20 nights / semester |
10 years |
Nishimura 1.8m |
Ōtehīwai Mt John Observatory, New Zealand |
Imaging |
NZL-AUK-S1 |
2026A |
10 nights / semester |
10 years |
Korean Microlensing Telescope 1.6m |
Cerro Tololo, Chile |
Imaging |
KOR-KAS-S2 |
2026A |
150 hours / semester |
5 years |
Korean Microlensing Telescope 1.6m |
Siding Springs Observatory, Australia |
Imaging |
KOR-KAS-S2 |
2026A |
150 hours / semester |
5 years |
Korean Microlensing Telescope 1.6m |
SAAO, South Africa |
Imaging |
KOR-KAS-S2 |
2026A |
150 hours / semester |
5 years |
Milankovic Telescope 1.4m |
Astronomical Station Vidojevca, Serbia |
Imaging |
SER-SAG-S2 |
2025A |
2 nights / month |
10 years |
Various SAAO telescopes 1.9m - 1.0m |
SAAO, South Africa |
Imaging and Spectroscopy |
SZA-SAA-S4 |
2026A |
26 hours / semester |
10 years |
McLellan 1.0m |
Ōtehīwai Mt John Observatory, New Zealand |
Imaging |
NZL-AUK-S1 |
2026A |
200 equiv hours Nov - Feb |
10 years |
RTT150 1.5m & T100 1.0m |
TÜBITAK National Observatory, Türkiye |
Imaging |
TUR-AKD-S1 |
2026A |
23 nights / year total |
10 years |
Now Available¶
SER-SAG-S1¶
Two nights per month are available on the 1.4 Milankovic Telescope located at Astronomical Station Vidojevica near Prokuplje, Serbia. Optical Imaging is available with the Andor iKon-L 936 CCD and the following filters: Johnson B, V, R, I, L, filters and Hα , Hα continuum and SII. This facility offers AEON compatibility and is available for target of opportunity observations. Observations are taken in service mode. Raw data will be available within 24 hours and fully reduced and calibrated data within 72 hours. This contribution was first made available in Semester 2025A and is expected to be available for a total of 10 years.
SWE-STK-S3¶
70 hours of observing time on the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) is available for supernova classification using the ALFOSC instrument. NOT is a 2.56m telescope located on La Palma, Spain. The Alhambra Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera, ALFOSC, offers low/medium spectroscopy. Successful PIs will be able to submit ToO triggers of potential SNe for classification. Fully reduced spectra will be uploaded to WISeREP/TNS within 48 hours of observation. This contribution was first made available in Semester 2025A and is expected to be available for a total of 4 semesters.
Available in Future Semester These facilities are expected to be available starting in 2026A.
ESP-IAC-S1 and ESP-BCM-S5¶
Roughly two nights per semester will be available at the Gran Telescope Canaries (GTC). The GTC is a 10.4 meter Optical/NIR telescope in La Palma, Spain. The GTC has a wide suite of instrumentation. In-kind access to the GTC will not be allocated via the NOIRLab TAC, but a special process to be announced at a later date. This contribution is expected to be available for ten years from the starting semester.
JAP-JPG-S1¶
Five nights per year will be available on the 8.2 meter Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, USA. Subaru has a wide range of instrumentation, including the new Prime Focus Spectrograph. This contribution is expected to be available for 10 years from the starting semester.
KOR-KAS-S2¶
Roughly 150 hours per semester will be available on each of the telescopes of the Korean Microlensing Telescope Network. KMTNet consists of 1.6 meter optical imaging telescopes located in Cerro Tololo, Chile, Siding Springs Observatory, Australia, and South African Astronomical Observatory, South Africa. This contribution is expected to be available for 5 years after the first semster.
NZL-AUK-S1¶
Time will be available at facilities located at the University of Canterbury Ōtehīwai Mt John Observatory in New Zealand. Approximately 10 nights per semester will be available on the MOA 1.8 meter telescope, and roughly 200 equivalent hours will be available in the November - February period on the 1.0 meter telescope. This contribution is expected to be available for 10 years from the first semester of availability.
TAI-NCU-S1¶
Twenty nights per semester will be available at the Trans-Pacific Two-Meter Telescope located at San Pedro Martir, Mexico. This project is expected to undergo first light and commissioning in 2025. The contribution is expected to be available for 10 years from the first semester of availability.
SZA-SAA-S1¶
25 hours per semester will be available on the 9.2 meter South African Large Telescope located at South African Astronomical Observatory, South Africa. SALT has a wide range of instrumentation available. This contribution is expected to be available for 10 years from the start of the first semester of availability.
SZA-SAA-S4¶
Approximately 26 hours per semester will be available on a network of telescopes available at the South African Astronomical Observatory, South Africa. Telescopes will include the 1.0 meter and 1.9 meter facilities. This contribution is expected to be available for 10 years from the start of the first semester of availability.
ITA-INA-S18¶
35 pre-allocated nights per year will be available at the 2.6 meter VLT Survey Telescope at Paranal, Chile for imaging observations. 20 hours of open-shutter time per year will be available at the twin 8.4 telescopes at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory with the suite of imaging and spectroscopy instrumentation available. This contribution is expected to be available through FY2034.
TUR-AKD-S1¶
23 nights per year will be available at the T100 and RTT150 telescopes at the TÜBITAK National Observatory in southern Türkiye. This contribution is expected to be available for 10 years from the first semester of availability.