Scientists say 3 million cubic feet of rock will be blasted from a mountaintop in the Chilean Andes to make room for what will be the world's largest telescope.

In the coming months more than 70 controlled explosions will break up rock while creating a solid bedrock foundation for the Giant Magellan Telescope, the Carnegie Institution reported Friday.

The huge instrument will be able to peer back to the dawn of time, witnessing the birth of the first stars, galaxies and black holes, while also exploring planetary systems similar to our own around nearby stars in the Milky Way, officials said.

"Today marks a historic step toward constructing an astronomical telescope larger than any in existence today," Wendy Freedman, director of the Carnegie Observatories and chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization, said in a ceremony on the mountaintop site of Carnegie's Las Campanas Observatory.

The Las Campanas site is renowned as one of the world's premier astronomical sites, known for its pristine conditions and clear, dark skies.

"Years of testing have shown that Las Campanas is one of the premier observatory sites in the world and the Carnegie Institution is proud to host the GMT."

The Giant Magellan Telescope is being built by a consortium of U.S., South Korean and Australian institutions.

Seven primary mirrors, each 28 feet in diameter and weighing 20 tons, will form the heart of the giant telescope providing nearly 4,000 square feet of light-gathering area, astronomers said.