The United Kingdom Infrared Telescope on Maunakea is headed for its last science season. The University of Hawaiʻi has set September 15 as the final date for science operations this year, winding down observing runs as part of the university’s Maunakea master-plan commitments to shrink the number of summit observatories and restore sites. For astronomers and summit staff, the news marks the close of a long chapter in infrared research while UH gears up for a multi-year decommissioning and restoration project.
UH made the timeline public on July 1. As reported by Maui Now, Institute for Astronomy director Doug Simons said UKIRT “has had an extraordinary run,” and officials noted that eight full-time employees will stay on to support operations through the September shutdown. The outlet also reports that aging infrastructure, funding constraints and the steady approach of UH’s master-lease timeline toward 2033 all factored into the decision.
UKIRT's scientific legacy
Built in the late 1970s and achieving first light in 1979, UKIRT became a workhorse for infrared sky surveys and helped solidify Hawaiʻi’s role in observational astronomy. As outlined by Maunakea Observatories, ownership of the telescope shifted to UH’s Institute for Astronomy in 2014, and in recent years its work has centered on an all-sky infrared program that strengthens the celestial reference frame along with other long-term research. Scientists say those survey datasets will remain a durable scientific legacy even after the dome and telescope are removed from the summit.
How decommissioning will proceed
The project will follow the formal steps in UH’s Maunakea Decommissioning Plan. That process includes filing a Notice of Intent, completing environmental due diligence, preparing a Site Deconstruction and Removal Plan, securing permits and conducting community consultation before any physical work begins. According to the Maunakea Management Board minutes and the project’s Notice of Intent, UH expects initial planning and permitting to take roughly 2-3 years, followed by a multi-year removal and restoration phase. Board documents say UH will bring on a consultant to develop more detailed cost estimates, a project schedule and a permitting strategy, with those cost figures refined once a contractor is in place.
Local oversight and cultural protocols
On-the-ground coordination will largely fall to the Center for Maunakea Stewardship staff in Hilo, while the Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority assumes the broader responsibilities created by Act 255. UH states that cultural training and Native Hawaiian protocol will be woven into every stage of deconstruction and restoration, building on practices used during other recent summit facility removals. In a UH System News release, the university framed the project as both an environmental restoration effort and a chance to involve the Hawaiʻi Island community more directly in stewardship planning.
What comes next for science and the summit
UKIRT is the third Maunakea observatory marked for removal under UH’s master plan, with current planning aimed at wrapping up decommissioning around 2030. As Maunakea Observatories notes, the FRAMEx all-sky survey, supported by the U.S. Naval Observatory, will continue while planning and permitting are underway, keeping the telescope’s scientific output flowing for now. The immediate next steps include selecting a consultant, holding community briefings and moving into the public permitting process the university has laid out.
