The 1-meter Jacobus Kapteyn telescope, on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, was originally commissioned by the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands more than 30 years ago as part of the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, (ORM) taking advantage of the excellent atmospheric conditions afforded by this steep volcanic island. Changing funding priorities within the Isaac Newton Group of telescopes, to which the Jacobus Kapteyn had been assigned, led to the end of traditional observations at the JKT in 2003. In 2012 it was transferred to the IAC.

An operating agreement for the telescope was reached between SARA and the IAC, thanks to an international partnership and the ability to operate equipment remotely via Internet linkup across continents.