ALMA Timeline


1995 NRAO/ESO/NAOJ joint site testing with Chile
June 1999 U.S./European Memorandum of Understanding for Design & Development
April 2001 Resolution for ALMA between Europe, North America and Japan
February 2003 Final North American / European ALMA Agreement
April 2003 Testing of first prototype antenna begins at the ATF site in New Mexico
November 2003 Groundbreaking ceremony at ALMA site
October 2004 Opening of Joint ALMA Office, Santiago, Chile
January 2005 Japanese contract for ACA production antennas
July 2005 North American contract for up to 32 ALMA production antennas
September 2005 Taiwan joined the ALMA project through National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)
October 2005 Groundbreaking at 5000m altitude ALMA Array Operations Site
December 2005 European contract for up to 32 ALMA production antennas
July 2006 Agreement signed by North America, Europe, and Japan
March 2007 "First Fringes" detected by two linked antennas at the ATF
April 2007 Arrival of the first ALMA antenna in Chile
October 2008 Taiwan (NSC) started a collaboration with North America (NSF) on the ALMA project
December 2008 Acceptance of the first ALMA antenna
January 2009 Taichung's EA FEIC deliver first receiver to Chile
May 2009 Two-antenna interferometry at the OSF
September 2009 First move of an ALMA antenna to Chajnantor
November 2009 Three-antenna interferometry and closure phase at the AOS
January 2010 Commissioning and Science Verification starts
June 2011 Deadline for Early Science proposals
September 2011 Early Science began on Schedule
May 2012 ALMA cycle 1 call for proposals
Dec 2012 Taichung's EA FEIC deliver 26 receivers to Chile.
March 2013 Inaugration
June 2014 Start of Early Science Cycle 2.
Thirty-four 12-m antennas in the 12-m Array, nine 7-m antennas in the 7-m Array,
and two 12-m antennas in the TP Array.