The Hawaii Supreme Court on Monday set a June 21 date for oral arguments in the Thirty Meter Telescope conservation district use permit appeal.

The $1.4 billion project has been stalled since 2015, when protesters blocked construction vehicles and the state Supreme Court ruled that the state erred when it approved the cutting-edge telescope before holding its contested case hearing.

A replay of the hearing was held in Hilo, and the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved the permit again in September, an action that was appealed to the state’s highest court.

The project has been billed as the most powerful optical telescope in the world and a significant advancement in the field of astronomy, capable of seeing the origins of the universe more than 13 billion light-years away.

Memorial tours restricted because of ramp damage

Visitors to the USS Arizona Memorial will not be able to disembark from their shuttle boats at the memorial itself today, but will be given harbor tours nearby because of damage to the loading ramp.

Specialists at the National Park Service are assessing the problem, a crack in the supporting structure for the visitor loading ramp to the memorial, which is accessible only by boat from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.

Onshore programs at the USS Arizona Memorial will continue as usual, as well as at partner sites, including the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park and the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor.

“We will inform the public of any changes to visitor access and make every effort to resume normal operations as soon as possible,” the National Park Service said in a news release.

For additional updates, go to nps.gov/valr and facebook.com/ValorNPS.