2024-07-18
The Square Kilometer Array SKA Observatory has announced that the first 15-meter diametertelescope antenna of its South African portion of the SKA-Mid array has been assembled in theKaroo region of the Northern Cape Province. This milestone marks a new stage in the constructionof the world's largest radio telescope array. The SKA consists of SKA-Mid in South Africa and SKA.Low in Australia, which cover different frequency bands and jointly build unprecedented observationcapabilities.
The antenna was installed by a joint team of SKAO, the South African Radio Astronomy ObservatorySARAO and China's CETC54 Company, which also led the multinational antenna design. SKA-Midwill deploy four antennas for testing in the first phase, covering the 350 MHz to 24 GHz frequencyband. Currently, two dish structures have been installed on site and are ready for further assembly.
South African company EMSS Antennas is responsible for the manufacture of SKA-Mid's receiversdemonstrating South Africa's strength in precision receiver technology. Other components areproduced in many locations around the world, demonstrating the extensive participation ofinternational cooperation.
Ben Lewis, senior project manager of SKA-Mid, said that the installation of the first antenna is theresult of many years of hard work, and he thanked the professionalism of the partners. He revealedthat the four-antenna array is planned to be completed early next year, and then construction will beaccelerated in 2025.
At the same time, Australia's SKA-Low project is also advancing, with more than 1.000 smalantennas deployed, with a total planned scale of 131.072, covering the 50 MHz to 350 MHZfrequency band.
Luca Stringhetti, acting project director of SKAO, emphasized that despite the challenges, globalcooperation and team eforts ensured the smooth progress of the project. The successfulinstallation of the first antenna is an important step towards the delivery of the telescope, heraldingunlimited possibilities for future astronomical research.