An ALMA antenna arrives on the plateau of Chajnantor for the first time

An ALMA antenna arrives on the plateau of Chajnantor from the Operations Support Facility for the first time. The ALMA transporter vehicle carefully and precisely sets the state-of-the-art antenna, with a diameter of 12 metres and a weight of about 100 tons, onto a concrete foundation at the Array Operations Site, which is at an altitude of 5000 m. The antenna is designed to withstand the harsh conditions at the high site, where the extremely dry and rarefied air is ideal for ALMA’s observations of the universe at millimetre- and submillimetre-wavelengths.