Is India building the world’s largest telescope?

It is the world’s second-most populous country ever. It also happens to be the world’s largest democracy. And apart from being the home to some of the leading developments in science, technology, and the unputdownable sphere of entrepreneurship, India is also constantly in the news for being among the world’s fastest-growing economies.

But all that told, it appears that India is also building the world’s largest telescope.

In an era where technology and its omnipresence is being felt, written about and discussed with every breath, it’s not really a surprise that it is India that happens to be building the world’s largest telescope.

But that said, here’s a question we may want to discuss.

For a country, no stranger to producing some of the finest scientific and engineering minds the world has seen, whether it is stellar science geniuses like the late Homi Bhaba to corporate icons like Sundar Pichai, one wonders what might be at stake for India in producing world’s largest telescope?

In fact, to that end, it appears that India, that is building an optical telescope- one of hitherto unprecedented size or scale- is slated to build the aforementioned in the United States.

So one wonders, where’s this keenly-anticipated feature going to mushroom? Perhaps it may come as some surprise that the world’s largest telescope, apparently, around thirty meters in size is expected to stand tall at Mauna Kea, in Hawaii.

In a recent address to an esteemed gathering in Mumbai’s revered Nehru Science Centre, the key figure behind the enterprising development- Mr. A N Ramaprakash, who happens to be the Associate Director for the TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope) program took to the stage and emphasised on his country’s role in the development.

He shared that India has a huge rule in leading and developing not only the telescope’s control system but also its software and instruments. Mr. Ramaprakash, it is worthwhile to mention, also happens to be associated with the venerable with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, situated in Pune, in Maharashtra.

But while the development of the world’s largest telescope is a fine piece of news that’s already been splashed across various scientific and technical journals the world-over, a key question that occupies one’s fancy is by when can the world get to see something that is both truly inspiring and enticing?

And to that end, it turns out that the construction of the same is expected to begin this year. And that’s not all. Once the project is commissioned, around 2029-30, the one of a kind instrument would be able to give a bigger picture of the universe.

The Times of India was quoted on the said development as saying, ”

“Indian industries are making the telescope’s sensors, actuators, and its mechanical support structure.”