India’s New Telescopes in Ladakh
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India’s New Telescopes in Ladakh

SYLLABUS

GS-3: Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life; Indigenization of Technology and Developing New Technology.

Context: The Union Budget 2026 sanctioned the establishment of two advanced telescopes, the National Large Solar Telescope in Merak and the National Large Optical–Near Infrared Telescope in Hanle, Ladakh.

More on the News

  • The government also approved the upgradation of the Himalayan Chandra Telescope at the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, Ladakh
  • Ladakh already hosts major astronomical facilities, and the village of Hanle is designated as India’s first and only Dark Sky Reserve, a protected area meant to preserve the natural darkness of the night sky.
    • The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) in the Changthang region of Ladakh is India’s first Dark Sky Reserve, officially notified in December 2022. It is one of the world’s highest-located sites for astronomical observation at an altitude of approximately 4,500 metres.
  • The new projects are expected to significantly enhance India’s observational astronomy capabilities over the next decade.

National Large Solar Telescope

  • The National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) will be a 2-metre aperture ground-based solar observatory to be established in the Merak region near Pangong Tso lake.
  • The telescope will operate in visible and near infrared wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • The NLST will help solar physicists to study the fundamental solar dynamics, magnetism and energetic solar events.
  • The telescope will help in mapping space weather processes that affect Earth satellites and space missions.
  • After completion, the facility will become India’s third ground-based solar observatory after Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (in Tamil Nadu, established 1899) and Udaipur Solar Observatory (in Rajasthan, established 1975).
    • The project is expected to be completed within five to six years.
  • The data from the telescope will complement the observations of Aditya L1, which is India’s first space-based solar observatory launched in 2023.

National Large Optical–Near Infrared Telescope

  • The National Large Optical–Near Infrared Telescope (NLOT) will be a 13.7-metre aperture segmented mirror telescope to be established in Hanle, Ladakh.
    • In a segmented-mirror telescope, a larger primary mirror comprises highly complex, smaller hexagonal mirror segments.
  • The 13.7-metre primary mirror will consist of 90 hexagonal segments that function together as a single large mirror.
  • The telescope will operate in optical and near-infrared wavelengths.
  • The high altitude and dry atmospheric conditions of Ladakh will ensure minimal atmospheric distortion in observations.
  • The telescope will enable advanced research on exoplanets, stellar evolution, galactic formation and supernovae, besides supporting studies on the origins of the universe.
  • The project will benefit from India’s technical experience in the participation in the ongoing construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).
    • TMT, which has 494 hexagonal mirror segments across the 30-metre primary mirror, is a collaborative project of India, the US, Canada, China, and Japan.
    • India is contributing mirror segments and segment support assembly systems to the TMT.

Upgradation of the Himalayan Chandra Telescope

  • The Himalayan Chandra Telescope is a 2-metre optical telescope operational for over twenty-five years.
  • The upgraded facility will have a 3.7-metre segmented primary mirror.
  • The upgraded telescope will operate in optical and infrared wavelengths.
  • The telescope will complement global facilities such as LIGO India and the Square Kilometre Array.
    • LIGO-India (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) is an Indo-US collaboration that will comprise an advanced gravitational-wave observatory in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district.
    • The Square Kilometre Array is an international project to build the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope across two sites (in Australia and South Africa).

Significance for India and the Global South

  • Strategic observational advantage: High-altitude, low-light-pollution Himalayan locations enhance continuous sky coverage and high-quality astronomical observations.
  • Scientific capacity building: New solar and optical–infrared telescopes will strengthen India’s research in heliophysics, exoplanets, stellar evolution, and cosmology.
  • Greater domestic access: Expanded national facilities will increase observation time and research opportunities for Indian scientists, reducing reliance on foreign observatories.
  • Global South leadership: The projects are expected to enhance India’s standing in space science and astronomy, supporting its role as a major scientific hub in the Global South.

Source:
Indianexpress
Indianexpress

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