VST project: Control software overview

The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is a cooperative program between the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the INAF Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory (OAC), Naples, for the study, design, and realization of a 2.6-m wide-field optical imaging telescope to be operated at the Paranal Observatory, Chile. The telescope design. manufacturing and integration are provided and under responsibility of the Technology Working Group (TWO) of OAC. The VST has been specifically designed to carry out stand-alone observations in the UV to I spectral range and to supply target databases for the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). The VST control software will operate the telescope, all the auxiliary subsystems and will manage the interfaces toward the instrumentation. The paper will describe the architecture of the software system, including the solutions adopted to be compliant with the ESO standard software environment.