Impressions from the construction of FYST on Cerro Chajnantor — photos courtesy of the CCAT Observatory gallery.
2026
2026 May 21: Sunset at the summit site. (Credit: Diego Maldonado)2026 April 9: FYST telescope on Inauguration Day.2026 April 9: Participants in the CCAT inauguration event on April 9, 2026, took a trip to the summit site at 5600 meters (18,400 feet) to see the telescope close-up.2026 Apr 1: The summit site.2026 Mar 30: The FYST with both mirrors installed.2026 Mar 30: The secondary mirror M2 was successfully lifted and positioned in the telescope2026 March 19: The CCAT team and construction crew celebrate the successful installation of the primary mirror.2026 March 19: The primary mirror M1 after installation on the telescope.2026 March 19: The primary mirror is lifted for installation onto the telescope.2026 March 19: Installation of the primary mirror.2026 March 5: View of the CCAT Observatory summit site with the FYST under construction.2026 Feb 24: View of the summit from above after an overnight snowfall .2026 Feb 22: With alignment of the yoke arms completed, construction of the upper sections of the elevation housing can proceed.2026 Feb 21: A view of the summit with the elevation housing tilted.2026 Jan 28: The summit at night during laser measurement of the yoke arm alignment.2026 Jan 27: Summer in Chile brings winds from the east and sometimes snow at the summit.
2025
2025 Dec 19: Drone shot of the summit.2025 Dec 17: FYST instrument spaces have been attached to the yoke arm on the right.2025 Dec 3: CCAT summit.2025 Nov 18: View of the CCAT summit.2025 Nov 15: The FYST with both yoke arms installed.2025 Nov 08: The summit site after delivery of both mirror crates.2025 Nov 08: The crate containing M1 being unloaded at the summit.2025 Nov 08: The convoy transporting the crate containing the primary mirror (M1) turning off the road onto the CCAT site.2025 Nov 07: The summit site from above.2025 Nov 07: The crate containing the secondary mirror (M2) at the summit.2025 Nov 07: Jim Blair congratulating the transport company lead on the successful delivery of the secondary mirror (M2) to the summit site.2025 Nov 4: Transport of the crates containing the FYST mirrors along the main highway from Puerto Angamos to San Pedro.2025 Nov 3: Webcam photo of the CCAT summit site showing the placement of the bottom of the elevation housing on the yoke traverse.2025 Nov 1: Installation of the bottom of the elevation housing on the yoke traverse.2025 Oct 29: One of the two crates containing the FYST mirrors being transferred from the Condor Valparaiso to a truck for transport inland (and upward) at the port of Angamos.2025 Oct 22: View of the summit from above.2025 Oct 17: Montage of four time-stamped images captured by the public webcam at the Miraflores Locks showing the lowering of the water level and the Condor Valparaiso for its passage into the Pacific Ocean.2025 Oct 17-18: Slide showing the route, timing and speed of the Condor Valparaiso, transporting the FYST mirrors, as it passed through the Panama Canal.2025 Oct 20: Image of the CCAT site on Cerro Chajnantor taken with CCAT’s new (private) webcam.2025 Sept 23: Parts of the elevation housing being readied for lift.2025 Sept 23: View of the summit where contractors are re-starting the process of assembling the telescope.2025 Sept 19: Mirrors being loaded onto the Condor Valparaiso for the voyage to Chile. Arrival at the Port of Angamos is estimated for late October.2025 Sept 19: Mirrors at the port at Antwerp.2025 Sept 05: Loading of the mirrors on the barge Aletta for transportation to Antwerp.2025 August: Snowdrift on the road to the summit. It can take more than 2 weeks to clear a path back to the summit after a storm like this one. In 2025, we had three!Winter in the southern hemisphere brought a meter and a half of snow to Chajnantor, shutting down work at the summit from the end of June until on or about September 1.2025 July 28: Transport of the mirrors (packed for shipping) from the Hövelmann factory to the Rhine river port.2025 June 6: The joining of the full yoke traverse connecting YTA, YTM and YTB has been completed. This is the bottom section of the rotating telescope.2025 June 6: The right section of the yoke traverse YTA being joined to the rest of the yoke traverse.2025 June 1: The left section of the yoke traverse YTB was mated to the central section YTM.2025 May 20: The Yoke Traverse Middle (YTM) has been installed on the telescope support cone. This, the heaviest (55,000 kg or 60 tons) piece, is the bottom center of the rotating telescope structure.2025 April 20: Placement of the support cone on the bolt ring.2025 April 20: Tightening the bolts anchoring the support cone to the foundation.2025 April 19: The transformation of the summit site from Jan-Apr 2025.2025 April 19: The summit after arrival of the final FYST load.2025 April 18: Transport of the heaviest load YTM (yoke traverse middle) required a special hydraulic modular trailer and a second pulling vehicle.2025 April 18: YTM, the heaviest piece (55,000 kg) on the hydraulic modular trailer ready to move from TAO3 to the summit.2025 April 16: YTM loaded on a special hydraulic modular trailer that can navigate the switch-backs on the road to the summit.2025 April 15: Transport of the heaviest piece YTM from TAO3 to the summit required a special hydraulic modular trailer (and a second pulling vehicle).2025 April 15: Transport of YTM (yoke traverse middle) to TAO3 required two pulling vehicles. YTM weighs 55,000 kg (60 tons) and is 7.3m x 6.0m x 4.2m in size.2025 April 12: Three oversized pieces (YAA Upper, YAA Lower and YTA) are transported from TAO3 to the summit.2025 April 11: The heaviest load, Yoke Traverse Middle (YTM), weighing 60 Tons, is finally ready to begin its journey under police escort from the Port to the summit.2025 April 11: Transporting the 51 Tons of counterweights for the crane from TAO3 to the summit requires two pulling vehicles.2025 April 9: The construction generator is in place and operational at the summit.2025 April 9: A view of TAO3, where loads arrive, are transferred to other truck beds and eventually leave for the summit. It’s a busy place!2025 April 6: The unloading of Yoke Arm B (YAB) at the summit.2025 April 6: The transport of the 2nd heaviest load (35,500 kg or 39 tons) containing Yoke Arm B (YAB) required a second pulling vehicle to get it to the summit.2025 April 2: Transport of FYST oversized loads require police escorts and the shutting of sections of the main highway from the port to San Pedro de Atacama.2025 March 31: Convoy #2 carrying the support cone, YAA (Yoke Arm A) and YAB (Yoke Arm B) left the port and made it all the way to San Pedro de Atacama.2025 March 31: At the extreme high altitude (5600 m) of the summit site, workers routinely wear oxygen tanks.2025 March 30: The CCAT summit site. Credit Adam Polczyk / University of Cologne2025 March 30: The truck carrying the first section of Yoke Arm A “YAA-middle” begins the climb up the long and winding road up to the summit site. Credit Adam Polczyk / University of Cologne2025 March 30: The first section of Yoke Arm A “YAA-middle” (center) is off-loaded at the summit next to the FYST shutter (left).2025 March 30: The first section of Yoke Arm A “YAA-middle” is transported up to the summit.2025 March 29: The first convoy travels past an ASTE antenna on its way to the TAO3 staging area at the base of Cerro Chajnantor.2025 March 29: The first convoy travels from San Pedro de Atacama to TAO3.2025 March 29: The FYST shutter being placed at the summit.2025 March 29: The FYST shutter arrives at the summit site.2025 March 28: The first convoy of oversized loads, containing the three sections of Yoke Arm A, en route from Puerto Angamos to San Pedro de Atacama.2025 March 27: The dirt that covered the bolt ring at the top of the FYST foundation is cleared.2025 March 26: The first 40-foot container being set-down at the summit.2025 March 26: The convoy transporting counter weights for the crane and the first 40-foot container as it nears the summit site.2025 March 26: Laydown of the power distribution container on its base at the summit.2025 March 25: The FYST shutter container loaded and ready to go to San Pedro.2025 March 23: Wide-angle view of the summit.2025 March 23: The layout of the summit and crane.2025 March 23: 4 containers (left) at the laydown area next to the pulling vehicles (right) that will be used to transport them from the laydown area at the base of C. Chajnantor to the summit site.2025 March 23: One of the large oversized pieces of FYST offloaded to a truck for transport.2025 March 23: The large oversized sections of FYST in the lower hold of the Sloman Discoverer before being offloaded.2025 March 23: Convoy of trucks transporting FYST containers on their way from Antofagasta to San Pedro de Atacama and upward to the staging area at the base of Cerro Chajnantor.2025 March 22: One of the containers carrying tools and parts being offloaded from the Sloman Discoverer at Puerto Angamos.2025 March 22: Sloman Discoverer moor at Puerto Angamos pier. Six of the FYST containers are lined up, ready to be loaded onto trucks for transport.16 March 2025: Morning safety review3 March 2025: Installing the power system fuel lines.1 March 2025: Installing conduit for CCAT’s data and control lines at the CCAT summit.2025 February 27: Sloman Discoverer passing through the Panama Canal. Photo taken by public webcam.2025 February 6: The FYST M2 mirror, fully populated with panels. Photo credit “CPI Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH”30 January 2025: A view of the CCAT summit site area from the TAO site, 90 feet higher on Cerro Chajnantor. Photo by Steve Parshley.28 January 2025: FYST being loaded on the SLOMAN DISCOVERER in Antwerp. Photo by Ronan Higgins.28 January 2025: FYST being loaded on the SLOMAN DISCOVERER in Antwerp. Photo by Ronan Higgins.28 January 2025: FYST being loaded on the SLOMAN DISCOVERER in Antwerp. Photo by Ronan Higgins.17 January 2025: The telescope being loaded/setting sail on the barge for the trip up the Rhine to Antwerp.17 January 2025: The barge “Helena Adriaan” loaded and ready to go.2024-12-06: CCAT’s power system installation progress.2024-11-29: repairing the gate at the CCAT summit site.2024-11-25: Construction continues at the CCAT summit site. The TAO telescope is visible in the background.2024-11-20: Installing the foundation for one of the generators at the service area.
