US launches environmental study for Thirty Meter telescope on Mauna Kea

Native Hawaiians have protested the $2.65bn project, saying it will further defile an area already harmed by other observatories

The National Science Foundation will examine the environmental impacts of a proposed optical telescope on the summit of Hawaii's tallest mountain, a project that has faced strong opposition from Native Hawaiians who consider the area sacred.

Native Hawaiians have long protested the plan to build what would be one of the world's largest optical telescopes on Mauna Kea, and say the $2.65bn project will further defile an area already harmed by a dozen other observatories.