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Monthly Updates

Construction Project Status

(updated February 15, 2024)

There was no change in the critical path this month; however, the forecast impact of camera turbo pump issues puts the camera more squarely on the critical path for full completion. The second path, through mirror integration and Commissioning Camera enabled system testing and commissioning, also was forecast to be a week longer, but the key objective now is getting the Commissioning Camera on-sky to do the early system commissioning originally envisioned for the instrument. 

Project earned value toward the MREFC effort decreased by $1.3 million this month to a calculated $504.3 million. This decrease in BCWP (budget cost of work performed) is a result of implementing change request LCR-3552 and removing the large positive cost variances under commissioning. These large positive variances were due to LOE (level of effort) work packages that were delayed several years. The cost variance changed by -$4.8 million this month to $1.5 million, and the cost performance index held at 1.0. The schedule variance changed by $5.1 million to -$5.9 million, which equates to a schedule performance index of 0.99. One project controls change request (LCR) was implemented this month requesting a total of $13,826,937 from contingency.  As of the end of the month, the project has allocated 90% of the total contingency to the baseline through the change control process. The remaining contingency of $9.2 million is 21% of   (TPCII  -BAC -CV)/(EACII -ACWP ).

(ETC = Estimate to completion, BAC = Budget at completion, BCWP = Budgeted cost of work performed).

Select Milestones

There are no changes to the Project completion forecast this month. The team has managed all emerging issues without schedule impacts to the overall Project.


Updated with post Covid replan dates pending agency approval

The table shows forecast dates, i.e., the Project’s current best estimate. There is, in addition, schedule contingency that is not included in those dates, amounting to about 6 weeks at present. It is likely that the Project will use most or all of that schedule contingency. 

The schedule for science data is best estimated relative to the System First Light Milestone. The Operations Team, in consultation with the Rubin Construction Project, currently anticipate the following:

  • The first data preview release (DP1, for details see http://ls.st/rtn-011, which is currently under revision), based on a subset of images supporting the System First Light milestone: 2-3 months after System First Light 
  • The LSST Survey start: 4-7 months after System First Light. Some “near-live” alerts are planned around the time of the LSST Survey start, and then alert production is planned to increase smoothly to "live" during the early months of the LSST Survey, covering more regions over time as the static-sky templates are built up.
  • Data Preview 2 (DP2): 9-12 months after System First Light
  • Data Release 1 (DR1): 12-14 months after LSST Survey start

 

Top level Earned Value Management (EVM) Data Table

Financial support for Rubin Observatory comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Cooperative Agreement No. 1258333, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515, and private funding raised by the LSST Corporation. The NSF-funded Rubin Observatory Project Office for construction was established as an operating center under management of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA).  The DOE-funded effort to build the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera (LSSTCam) is managed by the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC).
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science. NSF supports basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.
NSF and DOE will continue to support Rubin Observatory in its Operations phase. They will also provide support for scientific research with LSST data.   




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