The Cherenkov Telescope Array project aims to provide a unique global facility for very high energy gamma ray astronomy, addressing many long-unanswered questions in astronomy and astrophysics, astro-particle physics, particle physics, and cosmology. Two arrays of Cherenkov telescopes – one in each hemisphere – will provide unprecedented sensitivity for the study of the Universe at the highest energies of the electromagnetic spectrum. The project is supported and promoted by the CTA Consortium, carried by over 200 institutes in 31 countries; Consortium institutes plan to provide the telescopes as in-kind contributions. The CTA Consortium provided instrument specifications and the design as a result of the CTA Preparatory Phase.
In 2013, Reviews by ESFRI have identified the main bottlenecks towards implementation of CTA as: characterization and survey of array sites; design and implementation of site infrastructure; concluding long-term agreements; and preparing for construction to begin.
The CTA-DEV project targeted these bottlenecks by specifically addressing: (i) Designing and planning in detail the site-specific infrastructure required to operate the telescopes provided by CTA Consortium institutes; (ii) Planning the deployment process, exercising it on the first telescopes and their infrastructure, and providing a solid foundation for the mass deployment of telescopes; (iii) Providing the legal basis for approval and deployment of CTA by creating the required founding agreement, hosting agreements, and framework contracts; (iv) Implementing local outreach programs in the host countries and defining the outreach infrastructure required, promoting relations with the host country at government, commercial, and public levels.
These tasks have been carried out by the CTA Observatory gGmbH (CTAO), a non-profit organisation founded by CTA member states to provide a legal framework for the preparation for the CTA Observatory, to administer CTA project management and system engineering, and to prepare for deployment.
During CTA-DEV project, two major resolutions were approved by the CTAO Council:
• The CTA South Site will be hosted by ESO at Paranal Observatory
• The final Legal Entity for the CTA Observatory will be a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), entitled of the observatory construction and operation.
The two undertakings had significant impact on the progress of CTA-DEV, leading to resettlement of milestones, in some cases.
On the overall, the CTA-DEV project sustained the CTA Construction project in a decisive and delicate phase, providing inputs and contribution, both to technical and legal side.
It is worthy to underline that CTA Observatory will be the first ground-based gamma-ray observatory open to the worldwide astronomical and particle physics communities as a resource for data from unique, high-energy astronomical observations. The extent of the countries involved at various levels in the construction project, and its set up as an ERIC are substantially contributing to strengthen the ERA position in the global research landscape.
