Margaux Lopez is the logistics lead for shipping the LSST Camera to Chile. The world's largest digital camera, crafted at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California, has arrived at the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile after an intricate journey along the west coast of the Americas. It was securely encased in a custom shipping container with advanced suspension to mitigate shocks and vibrations, essential for protecting its 189 closely spaced sensors.
The camera was flown to Santiago on a 747, accompanied by 50 tons of support gear. From there, it was trucked on a 10-hour drive and then up a 20-mile winding mountain road, taking four hours due to cautious driving. The $168 million instrument's arrival marks a critical step before it begins capturing a decade-long timelapse of the Southern night sky.
Olivier Bonin/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
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The LSST camera will sit atop Rubin Observatory’s Simonyi Survey Telescope high in the Andes of Chile.
An artist's rendering of the LSST Camera showing its major components including lenses, sensor array, and utility trunk.
