Both the US Decadal Survey and the Canadian Long Range Plan identify wide-field multi-object spectroscopy on 10-m class telescopes as important. Canada has played a leadership role in the conceptual design of the MaunaKea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE), which is currently the most advanced of all such facilities. Efforts are underway to secure funding to contribute to the Preliminary Design phase of several key subsystems, including the enclosure (dome), fiber transport mechanism, and Program Execution Software Architecture (PESA). A $17.4M CFI proposal was submitted in 2022 to advance the design of these components for a generic next-generation spectroscopic survey facility. Members of the WCA collaborated with other Waterloo faculty in Physics, Math, Engineering and the Artificial Intelligence Institute on this proposal. WCA member Balogh is a Principal Team Member on the proposal, which includes Percival as a named “Other User”. If successful, this design work could contribute to several different proposed facilities, including MSE, MegaMapper and SpecTell/WST. Results of the CFI competition are expected later this year.
