Autumn 2024

First observational resultsScientific results published from first-light observations

31 Oct 2023

Inauguration of WEAVE and start of regular science observations

12 Dec 2022

First light observations presented

Nov 2022

Science observations start

Aug 2022

First light on WEAVE. Commissioning starts

25 May 2022

WEAVE mounted on the prime focus

Jul 2021

WEAVE gets primed for on-sky commissioning

Mar 2021

Red detector arrives at the WHT

Dec 2020

Blue detector arrives at the WHT

Dec 2020

Positioner arrives at the WHT

Sep 2020

First light on the Prime Focus Corrector

Aug 2020

Spectrograph arrives at the WHT

Jun 2020

Prime Focus Corrector arrives at the WHT

Feb 2020

LIFU completed

Feb 2020

MOS fibres installation on Plate A

Mar 2019

Rotator arrives at the WHT

29th-30th Jan 2019

WEAVE SPA meeting 8, Groningen

20th-21st Sep 2018

WEAVE Galactic Archaeology team meeting, Naples

17th-20th Sep 2018

WEAVE All-Hands Meeting 2018: Naples

2nd-3rd Jul 2018

WEAVE SPA meeting 7, Cagliari

Jun 2018

Operational Rehearsal 3

22 Jun 2018

First light using the new WHT TCS

30th-31st Jan 2018

WEAVE SPA meeting 6, IAC, Tenerife

11th Jan 2018

WEAVE WRS FDR, Bilbao

30th Nov 2017

WEAVE WCS FDR, Barcelona

27th-1st Dec 2017

Week of WEAVE 2017: Galactic Archaeology team meeting, Barcelona

13th-27th Nov 2017

 WEAVE Engineering Stand-down 4

1st-3rd Nov 2017

 WEAVE All-Hands Meeting 2017: Groningen

26th-28th Sep 2017

 WEAVE AIT meeting, Schiphol

13th-14th Sep 2017

 WEAVE PRI system AIT workshop at RAL

12th-13th Jul 2017

 WEAVE-QSQ team meeting, Marseille

29th-30th Jun 2017

 WEAVE SPA team meeting 5, Cambridge

13th-14th Jun 2017

 WEAVE SCIP team meeting, Alicante

12th-19th Jun 2017

 WEAVE Engineering Stand-down 3

 5th May 2017

 Fibre Positioner dFDR

 8th Mar 2017

Observatory Control System Final Design Review

19th-21st Nov 2016

WEAVE All-Hands Meeting 2016, Cambridge

13th Dec 2016

IAC publishes tender to deliver the instrument rotator

28th Nov 2016

Week of WEAVE meeting at the Lorentz Center

10th Nov 2016

SPA meeting 4

9th Nov 2016

FDR for the WEAVE Archive System (WAS) at Groningen

4th Oct 2016

WEAVE Operational Rehearsal 1 held at Groningen

Aug 2016

IAC tender to deliver an assembled PFC is published

19th-20th Jul 2016

The WHT flip ring was removed from the WHT and successfully reinstalled. This was carried out as a demonstration in preparation for the arrival of WEAVE.  This was the first time in the history of the telescope that this ring had been separated from its support structure.  Read more about this here.

Mar 2016

Final funding announcement for IAC (FEDER, 1.8M€)

Mar 2016

Fibre Retractors Complete

Mar 2016

PRI lens 4 ready for coating

Mar 2016

FTS delivered to IAC

Feb 2016

Positioner contract placed with Schunk

Jan 2016

PRI Trolleys delivered to WHT

20th-21st Jan 2016

Jan Galactic Archaeology Science Team Meeting

Nov 2015

PFC Blank 2 delivered to Kiwistar

20th-21st Oct 2015

Fibre System FDR

19th-20th Oct 2015

Science and Survey Strategy Review

23rd-24th Sep 2015

PRI Focus Translation System FDR

Sep 2015

PFC Blank 5 delivered to Kiwistar

28th Aug 2015

PRI Trolleys FDR

8th Jun 2015

MultiLateral Agreement is now fully signed by all agencies

3rd Jun 2015

Franche Comté provides funds for WEAVE fibres

27th-29th May 2015

WEAVE Science Planning meeting at Leiden

15th May 2015

Engineering grade CCD231-C6 delivered by e2V

23rd Apr 2015

PDR for Archive System

23rd Apr 2015

FDR Core and Advanced Processing System

18th Mar 2015

FDR for Spectrograph System

Mar 2015

Conference: "Multi-Object Spectroscopy in the Next Decade: Big Questions, Large Surveys and Wide Fields"

22nd Jan 2015

FDR for Fibre Positioner System

Nov 2015

PFC Blank 2 delivered to Kiwistar

19th Dec 2014

PFC Blank 1 delivered to Kiwistar

2nd Dec 2014

PFC Blank 3 delivered to Kiwistar

3rd Nov 2014

PFC Blank 4 delivered to Kiwistar

22nd Jul 2014

France's Conseil Scientifique Régional d'Île-de-France approves funds for WEAVE

28th Jun 2014

WEAVE well-represented at SPIE in Montreal

26th Jun 2014

Spain's Plan Nacional approves funds for WEAVE

13th Jun 2014

Kiwistar selected to polish PFC lenses

10th Jun 2014

PDR of the CPS/APS

30th Apr 2014

Blank for PFC lens 1 ordered

29th Apr 2014

Spain's FEDER committee approves funds for WEAVE

11th Apr 2014

Published tender for PFC lens polishing and coating

30th Mar 2014

Science CCDs ordered from e2v

25th Mar 2014

Full UK funding released by STFC

25th Mar 2014

WEAVE Board meeting in Rome. Attended by INAF Directors following the agreement to include Italy in the project.

20th Feb 2014

First MOS fibre prototype received

12th Feb 2014

Final design stage mid-term assessment

31st Jan 2014

Positioner PLC received

30th Jan 2014

Spectrograph optical final design review

24th Jan 2014

Prime focus corrector blank (B6) has been completed

19th Dec 2013

Successful Gaia launch

15th Nov 2013

Five of the six prime-focus corrector blanks are ordered

7th Nov 2013

STFC's Science Board recommends full funding for WEAVE

6th Sep 2013

STFC PPRP visiting panel at RAL Space

9th Jul 2013

Final prime-focus optical design FDR

3rd-4th Jul 2013

STFC PPRP meeting

30th Apr 2013

STFC PPRP funding proposal submitted

22nd-23rd May 2013

WEAVE Engineering meeting to close preliminary design stage (Stage Two) and initiate final design stage (Stage three)

19th-20th Mar 2013

Preliminary design completion

21st Feb 2013

NWO (Dutch Science Foundation) awards 960 k€ for WEAVE hardware to Prof.dr. S.C. Trager (WEAVE NL PI, Project Scientist, and Deputy PI) through its NWO-M programme.  See this page for a short description of the project (in Dutch)

18th Feb 2013

Preliminary Design Review (PDR) documentation delivered to reviewers.  PDR will be held in Madrid 19-20 Mar 2013

Oct 2012

Workshop: "La Palma and Calar Alto Observatories, Science in the Next Decade"

11th Oct 2012

NWO (Dutch Science Foundation) Board of Exact Sciences approves 2M€ for staff costs connected to WEAVE design and construction in the period 2012-2015

26th-27th Jun 2012

WEAVE project stage II Mid-Term Assessment meeting in Liverpool. Project progressing as desired

17th-18th Apr 2012

WEAVE Engineering meeting in Amsterdam. Conceptual designs discussed and moved towards preliminary designs

13 Feb 2012

ING science strategy 2013-2022 released

2nd Jan 2012

Start of WEAVE project stage II, in which preliminary designs are developed

2012

Funds received from Île-de-France for prototyping MOS fibres

19th Dec 2011

End of WEAVE project stage I. Final science cases delivered

3rd Oct 2011

Start of WEAVE project stage I, in which the user requirements will be captured. Final science cases and a concept-of-operations document will be delivered by 16 Dec

22nd-23rd Sep 2011

WEAVE kick-off meeting in Amsterdam. Engineering session on Thursday 22nd Sep. Science session on Friday 23rd Sep

13th Jul 2011

STFC's PPAN (Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics) science committee states that WEAVE is one of the highest priorities for UK investment in new ground-based astronomical instrumentation, and recommends that STFC provides support through the design phase

14th Apr 2011

Presentation about WEAVE made to STFC's PPAN (Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics) science committee by Gavin Dalton (RAL)

31st Jan 2011

'Statement of interest' submitted to STFC. The partners are STFC, the University of Oxford, LJMU, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, ASTRON, Observatoire de Paris, Lund University and ING

11th Jan 2011

Piercarlo Bonifacio and team join the WEAVE consortium following the closure of the GYES project

30th Nov 2010

Conceptual designs of the new prime-focus corrector for the WHT, and of the spectrograph components, were presented at the WEAVE engineering meeting, Heathrow

14th Oct 2010

Proposed WHT MOS instrument named as WEAVE (WHT Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer)

1st Oct 2010

Letter of intent submitted to ESO for the construction of a MOS on the WHT

26th Apr 2010

"WHT MOS Science Group meeting", London

Mar 2010

Workshop: "Science with the William Herschel Telescope 2010-2020"

Sep 2008

Report by the European Telescope Strategic Review Committee of ASTRONET on "Europe's 2-4m Telescopes Over the Decade to 2020"