Adventures of the project of the 30-meter telescope (TMT) proceed. In 2011 the authorities of the Hawaiian Islands have issued the permission for construction of an object at Mount Mauna Kea top. However this decision has encountered serious resistance from locals who complain that there is a defilement of their sacred mountain on which several large telescopes are so located. As a result of lawsuits in 2015 the ban on construction of the telescope in this area has been given.
However authors of the project worth 1,4 billion dollars have managed to finish the program to consider all ecological features and also other nuances of work to Mauna Kea, including even additional training of personnel in the culture of locals. Having considered the new application, the authorities of Hawaii have issued the repeated construction license. However, many locals prepare new complaints. If by April, 2018 it isn't possible to start construction, then TMT will transfer to the Canary Islands.
TMT has to become one of the most modern and effective land telescopes as it will consist of 492 segments, and the program will be able to correct the distortions created by the atmosphere. Even the photosensitivity will be 10 times higher, than at the 10-meter Kek telescope located in the same place.