NSF’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope: the highs and lows of commissioning and transition to early operations

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is the largest solar telescope in the world; it has and continues to provide the sharpest views ever taken of the solar surface. The telescope has a 4m aperture primary mirror, however, due to the off-axis nature of the optical layout, the telescope mount, enclosure, and observatory have proportions similar to an 8-metre class telescope. This paper provides an overview and discussion of the integration phase of the construction project and the first years of the operations phase. The paper’s perspective is that of the site-based team coordinating the integration schedule and subsequently the Technical site operations in the operations period. The challenges from logistical, management, and technical perspectives will be highlighted along with strategies that worked and those that did not. Also where appropriate there will be discussion on what would be done differently.