One of the cornerstones of the Institute for Millimetre Radio Astronomy (IRAM) is the 30-metre radio telescope on Pico Veleta in Sierra Nevada. It is one of the most powerful of its kind in the world and is proving to be one of the most productive in the history of astronomy. The observatory, which is located in an exceptional site at an altitude of 2800 metres, was built and is operated by IRAM, of which the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN) is a partner. It is now part of Spain's network of Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS),and makes observations for the international astronomical community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The IGN has played a key role in substantially improving the performance of this radio telescope through the ASSSA project.

The telescope consists of a classical single-dish parabolic antenna, which allows the exploration of large cosmic objects, such as nearby galaxies and interstellar clouds. Thanks to its large surface area, the 30-metre-diameter telescope is unrivalled in terms of sensitivity and is well suited to detect faint sources. The surface of the parabola is fine-tuned to a precision of 55 micrometres, which corresponds to the width of a human hair.

The 30-metre telescope is equipped with a series of heterodyne receivers and continuum cameras operating at 3, 2, 1 and 0.9 millimetres. High-resolution spectroscopy makes it possible to study the interplay of chemistry and continuum star formation within the giant molecular clouds of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, all the way to the most distant known galaxies in the universe.

With the 30-metre telescope, scientists can obtain detailed maps of the Universe at millimetre wavelengths, search for new structures, or scan the spectra of interstellar objects for new molecules. At the cutting edge of radio astronomy, the 30-metre telescope in Sierra Nevada also allows astronomers to access parts of the southern sky and thus observe the centre of our Galaxy.