Abstract

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) is a planned next generation massively multiplexed spectroscopic facility that is completely dedicated to optical and near-Infrared spectroscopy of samples of thousands to millions of astrophysical objects at resolutions from R~3,000 to R~40,000. With science goals spanning all of astronomy, from detailed chemical abundance studies of nearby stars to investigating the cosmology of the early Universe, MSE will provide key next-generation science capabilities that will revolutionize the field. In this talk I will review the current design status of the project and provide an overview of MSE's wide range of scientific capabilities.