On 16 June 2026, EASC hosted the ALMA Band 2 Production Completion Event. 36 participants from the Band 2 consortium, contributing European institutes, industry partners, and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) travelled to ESO Garching to celebrate this important milestone for ALMA. Together with ESO staff, more than 70 people attended the associated workshop and celebration activities throughout the day.

Advanced data products (ADPs) are becoming increasingly important at modern radio observatories, helping transform complex observational datasets into more accessible, science-ready resources. Products such as enhanced images, spectral products, catalogs, or other higher-level derived datasets can reduce the effort required for scientific analysis and broaden access to archival data. To better understand how such products are currently used, and what additional capabilities may be most valuable to the community in the future, the Advanced Data Products Coordination Group (ADPCG), with members from various radio observatories and the broader community, is conducting a short survey on the usage and potential needs for advanced data products. We warmly encourage all members of the community to participate and share their perspective.

ADPCG Community Survey 2026 – Fill out form

A detailed report of the Cycle 13 Proposal Submission Statistics is now available. The report provides a summary of items such as the number of submitted proposals and time requested, subscription rates, and comparisons with the number of hours requested in previous Cycles.

In Cycle 13, the number of proposals and requested time reached all-time highs. The European oversubscription rate also reached an all-time high of 10.2.

The report can be downloaded as a pdf document.

The ALMA Observatory is starting the release process of the data acquired in one of the Observatory Projects, 2024.A.00047.S. The status of the data delivery can be checked through this link. The same link can be used to download the data once it is delivered. ALMA Science Archive links for all the Observatory Projects can also be accessed from this main page for the Observatory Projects.

In preparation for the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU) programme, a team lead by Faouzi Boussaha from the Instrumental Research and Development group at LUX – Paris Observatory (France) has started a new ALMA development study to contribute to the development of the next generation of SIS (Superconductor–Insulator–Superconductor) detectors for ALMA's Band 9. The goal of the study is to double the instantaneous IF bandwidth and significantly increase the sensitivity, requiring a new generation of ultra-sensitive detector elements known as SIS junctions. Specifically, the study plans to use the Aluminium Oxide technology but will investigate new substrates such as silicon on insulator.

The ALMA Cycle 13 Call for Proposals, which closed 23 April, received a record number of proposals and requested time. 1843 proposals were submitted, requesting a total of over 37,000 hours of 12m time. ALMA also received a record number of Large Proposals (48) and Joint Programmes (91), demonstrating the sustained growth in demand for ALMA observing time over the past 15 years.

On 13 April 2026, ESO held the kick-off meeting for the Feasibility Study for a new generation of European ALMA receivers covering the 125–211 GHz band (ESO-654032) at the INAF-OAS premises in Bologna, Italy. The meeting marked the formal start of a two-year study to explore the technical and scientific feasibility of a combined ALMA Band 4+5 receiver system covering the 125–211 GHz frequency range. This ALMA development study is relevant for the later stages of the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU) programme.

Cycle 13 Call for Proposals has been released. Cycle 13 introduces two new developments: Band 2 (67–116 GHz) will be offered for the 12m array, and the new web-based Observing Tool (OT) will replace the desktop version. This cycle will offer long baseline configurations (C9 and C10). Further details of the capabilities offered can be found in the Proposer's Guide.

We particularly encourage proposals using long baselines at lower frequencies (Bands 1-4), high-frequency observations (Bands 8-10) and stand-alone ACA. 

As always, users are strongly encouraged to submit their proposals early, especially in view of the introduction of the new web-based OT. The Emergency Helpdesk will be open for the 3 days leading up to the proposal deadline.