Caltech radio telescope project brings potential local job opportunities, school partnerships

As the California Institute of Technology prepares to construct the world’s most sensitive radio telescope in Northern Spring Valley, the $230 million scientific project has the potential to create local career opportunities and new educational partnerships to White Pine County.

Funded by Schmidt Sciences, the Deep Synoptic Array (DSA) completed its final design review this summer and is ready for federal environmental reviews and eventual construction in a remote valley about 30 miles north of Highway 50. Target construction completion is 2029, when the flagship observatory will deploy 1,650 individual radio dishes across a 10.5-by-12-mile footprint, making it the most powerful radio astronomy facility on Earth.

Despite its vast scale, Caltech scientists emphasize that the observatory is designed to be a quiet, collaborative neighbor in White Pine County.

The ‘Goldilocks Valley’

To observe faint radio signals from deep space—such as black holes, spinning pulsars and fast radio bursts—astronomers require an environment free from human-made electromagnetic interference.

Lead Project Manager Dr. Katie Jameson explained that extensive surveys identified the location as a perfect fit.

“Northern Spring Valley turned out to be our Goldilocks Valley in so many more ways than we could have ever imagined,” Jameson said.

Surrounding mountain ranges block urban radio noise, while existing power infrastructure along Highway 893 provides grid power without requiring massive new power lines. Additionally, the valley’s clay and sand soil allows engineers to plow fiber optic cable underground, minimizing ground disturbance.

Jameson stressed that the telescope is an entirely passive instrument that does not emit radio waves, radar signals or cell transmissions, meaning it will not interfere with local cell service, Wi-Fi or ranching operations. She noted that project staff are “just passively sitting in the valley” and addressed common misconceptions.

“We’re not necessarily listening to the universe as much as detecting just very long wavelength light,” Jameson said, adding that team members work on explaining they are not an extension of the military or “Area 51.”

“We’re just scientists and engineers out there.”

Local economic footprint

Rather than building a large industrial footprint in Spring Valley, Caltech is establishing its primary operational base inside Ely. The project has acquired a former warehouse in the Ely Industrial Park to serve as its main operations and maintenance center.

When operational, the observatory expects to employ around 20 full-time staff members. While a small field crew of roughly a dozen technicians will travel to Spring Valley for routine dish maintenance, most administrative, engineering and data processing support will operate directly out of Ely.

Caltech officials are working closely with county leaders to structure development. Jameson emphasized that project leaders are “trying to avoid the whole man camp situation or a kind of unnatural influx of a population and driving an economy up only to drop later.”

“Our focus is always on trying to hire and contract as locally as possible,” Jameson said.

Caltech is exploring training partnerships with Great Basin College to recruit students for technical roles. Additionally, the optical fiber backhaul installed along Highway 893 creates potential opportunities to extend fiber internet connectivity to rural Spring Valley ranchers.

Protecting the range and cultural heritage

The 20-foot-wide, 28-foot-tall dishes are relatively small compared to traditional radio antennas and their sparse layout averages one dish per 28 acres. Construction will disturb approximately 2 percent of the site, dropping to 1 percent during operational years.

Because the array does not require fencing, it doesn’t interfere with cattle grazing across the valley floor. Caltech has consulted with local ranching families—including the Eldridge family and Hank Vogler—as well as range management researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno and the Eastern Nevada Landscape Coalition. A top agricultural priority involves developing an aggressive plan to control halogeton, an invasive weed that thrives in disturbed soil and poses a threat to grazing livestock.

Caltech also conducted cultural resource surveys alongside tribal monitors from the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe. The array’s flexible design allows individual dishes to be repositioned easily to steer clear of sensitive historical artifacts or native plant areas.

Community connection

Caltech’s local presence is already visible in White Pine County. Jameson maintains an office in the historic Ely Theater on Aultman Street and spends half her time residing locally.

Over the past year, Jameson and Caltech astronomer Dr. Cameron Hummels launched an educational outreach initiative across local fifth-grade classrooms at David E. Norman Elementary, Learning Bridge Charter School and McGill Elementary. The interactive visits align with Nevada science standards, teaching students about lunar phases, planetary orbits, black holes and space exploration.

The team has hosted free movie nights at the Ely Theater and partnered with Headframe Coffee to craft custom dark-sky coffee roasts. Looking ahead, Caltech envisions the observatory driving local astrotourism, connecting visitors with the Nevada Northern Railway’s Star Trains, local mountain biking trails and Great Basin National Park.

“I think we’re just one piece of that growing puzzle of what does the future of White Pine look like and Ely in general,” Jameson said.

Caltech Principal Investigator Gregg Hallinan highlighted the project’s transformative potential for scientific discovery and the region.

“The science that can be done is endless,” Hallinan said. “There will be enough discoveries to occupy every radio astronomer on the planet.”