STFC invests £4m in creation of largest robotic telescope

Planet hunters hope facility will be four times more sensitive and 10 times faster than existing facilities

Researchers trying to build the world’s largest robotic telescope have received £4 million in backing from the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

The New Robotic Telescope will be built by an international consortium led by Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Oviedo in Spain and the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands. It will be located on the island of La Palma in the Canaries alongside the Liverpool Telescope, which is also run by LJMU.