ITEK Observatory
The ITEK Observatory is a planned facility that will house one of the most remarkable instruments at Jenny Jump: a 48-inch telescope with a history that spans military reconnaissance, cutting-edge defense research, and now public astronomy outreach. The observatory is not yet open; construction has been delayed by a number of factors and no completion date is currently available. We look forward to sharing updates as the project moves forward.
When complete, the observatory will be home to a telescope with a genuinely extraordinary past. Originally built to track ballistic missiles in Florida, the instrument was later relocated to the Starfire Optical Range at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, one of the U.S. Air Force's premier research facilities for adaptive optics and directed energy. This 25,000-pound fully steerable instrument was designed for speed as much as precision, capable of slewing from horizon to horizon in just 3 seconds. The telescope can be configured to operate at focal ratios of f/2.5 or f/10, and will accept cameras, eyepieces, or other instrumentation at its hot-swappable Coude focus point. Valued at $1.1 million, it will be the most powerful telescope at the UACNJ site and is planned to serve as the receiver for an ultraviolet LIDAR system for gravity wave detection research.
The instrument was built by Itek Corporation, a Lexington, Massachusetts defense contractor founded in 1957 that became one of the most significant optical engineering firms in American history. Itek's optics flew on U-2 and SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft, mapped the lunar surface for NASA's Apollo program, imaged Mars with the Viking landers, and supplied primary mirror segments for the Keck Telescope in Hawaii. The company was eventually acquired by Litton Industries, then Hughes, Raytheon, and finally Goodrich Corporation. The ITEK telescope at Jenny Jump stands as a tangible piece of that legacy, and we can't wait to share it with the public.
When complete, the observatory will be home to a telescope with a genuinely extraordinary past. Originally built to track ballistic missiles in Florida, the instrument was later relocated to the Starfire Optical Range at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, one of the U.S. Air Force's premier research facilities for adaptive optics and directed energy. This 25,000-pound fully steerable instrument was designed for speed as much as precision, capable of slewing from horizon to horizon in just 3 seconds. The telescope can be configured to operate at focal ratios of f/2.5 or f/10, and will accept cameras, eyepieces, or other instrumentation at its hot-swappable Coude focus point. Valued at $1.1 million, it will be the most powerful telescope at the UACNJ site and is planned to serve as the receiver for an ultraviolet LIDAR system for gravity wave detection research.
The instrument was built by Itek Corporation, a Lexington, Massachusetts defense contractor founded in 1957 that became one of the most significant optical engineering firms in American history. Itek's optics flew on U-2 and SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft, mapped the lunar surface for NASA's Apollo program, imaged Mars with the Viking landers, and supplied primary mirror segments for the Keck Telescope in Hawaii. The company was eventually acquired by Litton Industries, then Hughes, Raytheon, and finally Goodrich Corporation. The ITEK telescope at Jenny Jump stands as a tangible piece of that legacy, and we can't wait to share it with the public.
