Update on maintenance processes and performance of technical operations at the Paranal Observatory

M. Boccas; G. Blanchard; P. Campana; V. Cea; A. Doberti; I. Ferreira; J. P. Gil; S. Gonzalez; I. Kastinen; M. Ortega; F. Salgado; M. Tapia; J. Valenzuela

doi:10.1117/12.3019424

25 July 2024 Update on maintenance processes and performance of technical operations at the Paranal Observatory

M. Boccas, G. Blanchard, P. Campana, V. Cea, A. Doberti, I. Ferreira, J. P. Gil, S. Gonzalez, I. Kastinen, M. Ortega, F. Salgado, M. Tapia, J. Valenzuela

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13098, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems X; 1309804 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019424
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Abstract

The operations at the Paranal Observatory have hit their 25th year milestone for the Unit Telescope 1 that saw first light in 1998. We will review different technical and organizational aspects of the technical operations over the last years. First, we present an update on the reliability and availability of the observatory systems and in particular the scientific instruments over the last decade. Corrective maintenance metrics will be presented to show the trends and compare with previous similar studies. Second, we present a review of our current maintenance processes after an analysis started recently for planning the future integrated operations with the Extremely Large telescope (ELT). The exercise revealed how the resources are used as well as the gaps and potential for improvements, in particular in the context of our methodology of Maintenance in Conditions of Operation (MCO), which we implemented in 2014. Finally, we will give an update on obsolescence management by describing some of the solutions we have implemented, and our strategy and forecast for the future decades given the aging of the Observatory and the need to keep the Very Large Telescope (VLT) competitive in the era of ELT.

Conference Presentation

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

M. Boccas, G. Blanchard, P. Campana, V. Cea, A. Doberti, I. Ferreira, J. P. Gil, S. Gonzalez, I. Kastinen, M. Ortega, F. Salgado, M. Tapia, and J. Valenzuela "Update on maintenance processes and performance of technical operations at the Paranal Observatory", Proc. SPIE 13098, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems X, 1309804 (25 July 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019424

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