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(Last Reviewed :  21/01/2010 )

KEY POINTS

  • The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is an international project, currently involving organisations in 20 countries, to build a next-generation radio telescope.
  • The international astronomy community has identified two suitable places for locating the SKA – Australia and Southern Africa. The main criteria, especially for the core site, are exceptional radio-quietness and suitable atmosphere and climatic conditions.
  • Key areas for business involvement in the SKA project include high-end information and communications technology, advanced manufacturing, energy, construction and provision of infrastructure, transport and operations logistics.
  • The Government is cooperating closely with the Western Australian Government, the Government of New Zealand and the CSIRO on the bid to host the SKA in Australia and New Zealand. Other Australian states and territories will be invited to join the bid consortium as appropriate.
  • On 21st August 2009, the Australian and New Zealand Governments formally agreed to cooperate on the SKA and jointly bid to host the project.
  • The governments have committed nearly $230 million so far to activities designed to position Australia and New Zealand as the preferred location for the SKA including:
    • establishing the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) in the Mid-West of Western Australia as the world's best radio observatory and the candidate SKA core site;
    • a new $110 million radio telescope, the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP), being built by CSIRO to prove Australian technology, industry capability and the Australian site. The first of the 36 planned ASKAP antennae has now been installed at the MRO;
    • developing a leading-edge capacity in radio astronomy research, engineering and operations in Western Australia – including the $80 million  Pawsey High Performance Computing Centre for SKA Science which will also support other areas of science, and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), a collaborative research centre in astronomical science and engineering that will contribute to the realisation and success of the SKA;
    • participating strongly in the international program to undertake R&D and develop a policy framework for the SKA;
    • using Australia’s and New Zealand's international relationships and diplomatic resources to promote the SKA and our credentials as the host countries; and
    • communication with stakeholders and the community about the benefits and opportunities offered by the SKA.

FACTS AND FIGURES

The SKA is a true mega-science project in its global reach, scale and scientific and technical ambition. The array will consist of several thousand antennas over a 5,000 km baseline, operating as a single instrument with 10,000 times the potential of existing telescopes to make new discoveries. The anticipated capital cost is around $2.5 billion, with an annual operating budget over its 50-year plus lifetime of around $200 million a year. The potential benefits of hosting the SKA in Australia and New Zealand will include business opportunities and industry development, boosting local research and innovation, attracting world-class talent and intangible benefits such as enhancing the global standing of both countries in science and engineering and providing an iconic project to draw young people to careers in these fields.