Maui Council Rejects Space Force Telescope Proposal on Sacred Haleakala
Council cites environmental concerns and cultural significance in unanimous vote against new observatory project.
- Maui County Council voted 9-0 to oppose the US Space Force's plan to build seven new telescopes on Haleakala volcano.
- The proposed facility, AMOS STAR, aims to track and catalog space objects but faces backlash over environmental and cultural impacts.
- Local officials stressed the spiritual importance of Haleakala, known as 'realm of the gods' to Native Hawaiians
- The Space Force has yet to fully address a significant diesel spill at an existing site on Haleakala.
- The resolution urges federal and state agencies to deny permits for the project.