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SKA host site recommended

By , ITWeb
20 Feb 2012

SKA host site recommended

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Site Advisory Committee (SSAC) has made a recommendation on the host site for the mega telescope and this will be presented to the SKA board of directors tomorrow.

SKA SA project manager Bernie Fanaroff says the recommendation was decided on last Friday by the SSAC. The recommended site is known to the SKA SA project office, but cannot be made public as yet.

The final decision will be announced on 4 April if there is a clear-cut decision, said SKA SA at a recent Parliamentary meeting. SA is bidding against Australia to host the telescope. It is a global science project to build the world`s largest and most sensitive radio telescope.

Member decision

In September, SA and its eight partner countries submitted the African SKA bid. Factors considered were the scientific basis and the technical perspective, as well as the infrastructure and long-term operations, given that it`s about a 40-year project. It is still unclear as to how the cost will feature.

Africa is an excellent potential site for the SKA and so the Department of Science and Technology (DST) says it has confidence in the bid.

If the board is happy with the SSAC report, it will then send it to the member countries, which are SA, Australia, China, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK. It is possible that Germany and Canada may join the member countries.

There will be a meeting of SKA members, excluding the candidates, on 4 April. The countries will look at the report, and if the report is clear-cut as to which bid won, a decision will be announced on 4 April. If there is no clear-cut decision between SA and Australia, there will be a prolonged process and a second round of voting will need to take place four to six weeks after 4 April.

Starry insight

The SKA will give astronomers insight into the formation and evolution of the first stars and galaxies after the Big Bang, the role of cosmic magnetism, the nature of gravity, and possibly even life beyond Earth.

“The SKA project will drive technology development in antennas, fibre networks, signal processing, software and computing, and power. The design, construction and operation of the SKA have the potential to impact skills development, employment and economic growth in science, engineering and associated industries, not only in the host countries but in all partner countries,” says the SKA Organisation.

It will consist of about 3 000 dish-shaped antennae and other hybrid receiving technologies that will be spread over a vast area of up to 3 000km.

The African SKA site bid is led by SA`s DST, and includes Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zambia, Mauritius, Kenya and Ghana.

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