The green light to create the world’s largest radio telescope network – space and astronomy

The green light on July 1, 2021 for the construction of the world’s largest radio telescope network, the SCA Observatory (Square Kilometer Array) (SCA observatory was born, revolutionizing astronomy), and Italy is part of the board with the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF). This was stated by the Director General of the SCOW Observatory (SCAW), Phil Diamond, on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the European Astronomical Society (EAS).

The construction phase will end in 2030 and the observatory will be operational for more than 50 years. At the end of the work, you will prepare thousands of dishes distributed between Australia and South Africa, which will work in unison, like one giant antenna. For Diamond, “Humanity today is taking another giant step by committing to building the largest science facility on the planet.”

According to the head of the institute, Marco Taffani, “the Italian scientific community, represented by the institute, is ready to seize every opportunity presented by this exciting challenge to reveal the secrets of the universe.” The total cost of the massive scientific infrastructure is €2 billion. Through the likes of him, Ska will be able to probe the universe to study phenomena that are difficult to collect today, such as fast radio flashes. It will also make it possible to map millions of galaxies, subject the theory of relativity to new tests and even look for signs of extraterrestrial life.

The SCA Observatory, which is responsible for implementing the project, was established in March 2019 with an international treaty signed in Rome by seven countries led by Italy. based in the United Kingdom (SKA Radio Telescope Headquarters InauguratedWith two locations in Australia and South Africa, SCOW is the world’s second largest intergovernmental organization dedicated to astronomy, after the Southern European Observatory (ESO).

More than 1,000 scientists and engineers from 40 countries are involved in the design and development of SKA telescopes. The site in South Africa will include, in particular, 197 dishes with a diameter of 15 meters, located in the Karoo region, including 64 MeerKAT antennas that have already been installed and managed by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (Sarao). In Western Australia, on the other hand, 131,072 two-meter antennas will be installed at Csiro’s Murchison Radio Astronomy Observatory.