IAC contribution to the New Robotic Telescope: an overview

Abstract

The New Robotic Telescope (NRT) is an ongoing project to build a next-generation, fully autonomous 4-meter facility expected to begin operations around 2030. Designed to observe a broad range of transient astronomical phenomena, the NRT combines a large collecting area with exceptional rapid-response capabilities, enabling it to repoint to any sky position in under 30 seconds. Located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma in the Canary Islands, the NRT will offer a powerful platform for high-cadence, time-domain astronomy. The project is being carried out by a consortium including the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), and the Universidad de Oviedo (UO). IAC’s contribution focuses on the development of the telescope-level control system software, designed to support autonomous, robust, and self-healing operation, as well as on the design and manufacture of the mirrors. The primary mirror (M1) will adopt a segmented topology, allowing the telescope to meet demanding optical and structural requirements. In addition, IAC is currently progressing on validation activities, mostly focused on a scaled mock-up demonstrator and the development of a methodology based on digital twins, to support control system development, subsystem integration, and future operational testing. This paper presents the progress achieved to date, highlighting the major technical decisions, ongoing prototyping and validation activities, and outlines the upcoming steps planned for the next phases of development.