Broken Cable Damages Arecibo Observatory | UCF News

Home » Arecibo Observatory Puerto Rico Damage » Broken Cable Damages Arecibo Observatory | UCF News

Maybe your like

Skip to main content University of Central Florida News | UCF Today UCF News | Stories of Impact + Innovation | Orlando, FL Sections University of Central Florida News | UCF Today UCF News | Stories of Impact + Innovation | Orlando, FL
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 63ºF Mostly Cloudy
The main collecting dish is among the world’s largest single-dish radio telescopes. The reflective dish is 1,000 feet in diameter, 167 feet deep, and covers an area of about 20 acres.

One of the auxiliary cables that helps support a metal platform in place above the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, broke on Monday (Aug. 10) causing a 100-foot-long gash on the telescope’s reflector dish. Operations at the UCF-managed observatory are stopped until repairs can be made.

The break occurred about 2:45 a.m. When the three-inch cable fell it also damaged about 6-8 panels in the Gregorian Dome and twisted the platform used to access the dome. It is not yet clear what caused the cable to break.

“We have a team of experts assessing the situation,” says Francisco Cordova, the director of the observatory. “Our focus is assuring the safety of our staff, protecting the facilities and equipment, and restoring the facility to full operations as soon as possible, so it can continue to assist scientists around the world.”

UCF manages the NSF-facility under a cooperative agreement with Universidad Ana G. Méndez and Yang Enterprises Inc. The facility, which is home to one of the most powerful telescopes on the planet, is used by scientists around the world to conduct research in the areas of atmospheric sciences, planetary sciences, radio astronomy and radar astronomy. Arecibo is also home to a team that runs the Planetary Radar Project supported by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program in NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office through a grant awarded to UCF.

The facility has endured many hurricanes, tropical storms and earthquakes since it was built 50 years ago. Repairs from Hurricane Maria in 2017 are ongoing. Through it all, the facility has continued to contribute to significant breakthroughs in space research in the area of gravitational waves, asteroid characterization, planetary exploration and more.

More Topics

College of Sciences Research space Florida Space institute Arecibo Observatory Share this content on Facebook Post this content Share this content on LinkedIn

Pegasus Magazine

Spring 2025 Spring 2025 Featured Story Robots in the Real World

From smart-assistant robots that can feed people cereal to Mars-ready rovers built by UCF’s robotics club, the university is developing the minds and machines that will shape our future.

Read More Pegasus Magazine Featured Story Community Care UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare residency programs are playing a crucial role in bringing more in-demand physicians to the state. Pegasus Magazine Featured Story Stellar Health UCF researchers are exploring how space travel impacts the human body. Pegasus Magazine Featured Story The Rise of SpaceU Founded to help fuel talent for the nearby space industry, UCF continues to build its reputation as SpaceU. Here’s a look at the early days of UCF’s space ties and journey to new frontiers. Pegasus Magazine Featured Story The New Era of Simulation UCF faculty are leading the way for the evolution of virtual worlds with digital twin.

Tag » Arecibo Observatory Puerto Rico Damage