Timeline

[ WEAVE acronyms ]

Autumn 2024	Scientific 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"