Rubin Observatory launches 10-year Legacy Survey of Space

A new era in astronomy has begun as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in northern Chile has officially launched its decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time. The ambitious project, which started on June 30, 2026, will repeatedly scan the entire southern sky to create the most comprehensive cinematic record of the universe ever produced.

The observatory, a joint facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, will use the world's largest digital camera-a 3,200-megapixel instrument-to capture a new, detailed image approximately every 40 seconds. Each night, it will collect about 10 terabytes of data, photographing an area of sky about 40 times the size of a full moon and stitching together a complete view of the southern hemisphere every few nights.

Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director, marked the occasion, stating, "Today, we begin filming the greatest cosmic movie ever made." Darío Gil, Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy, said the survey "is opening a new window on the universe" and "embarking on a mission that will redefine modern cosmology and astrophysics."

The survey's primary scientific goals include...