Ten years of the ESO paranal instrumentation programme

The Paranal Instrumentation Programme, presented for the first time ten years ago at SPIE, is responsible for planning and delivering the instruments and the associated infrastructures needed to keep the VLT and La Silla Observatories at the forefront of ground-based astronomy. After the completion of the second generation VLT/I instruments (MUSE, SPHERE, MATISSE, GRAVITY, ESPRESSO) and infrastructures (AOF, VLTI), a new generation of instruments is In commissioning, or close to be commissioned, for the VLT (ERIS, MOONS) and for the 4 m class telescopes (NIRPS, SoXS, 4MOST). Following a strategy that aims at maximizing the scientific output of the VLT/I in the ELT era, upgrades are performed (CRIRES, FORS) and three new projects (MAVIS, CUBES and GRAVITY+) have recently started, with BlueMUSE in the pipeline as next. In addition to providing an overview on the status of the programme, a few facts on the twelve major projects delivered are provided.