Construction of the world’s largest radio Telescopes at the SKA Observatory (SKAO), launched today, Monday 5 December 2022, with ceremonies at future telescope sites in Australia and South Africa. The SKA telescopes will drive technological developments during their lifetime of more than 50 years.

The SKA telescopes will initially comprise 131,072 antennas in Australia (SKA-Low), which will be built at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory on Wajarri Country in Western Australia, and 197 dishes in South Africa (SKA-Mid), to be built in the Karoo in South Africa.

Together, the SKA telescopes will provide an unparalleled view of the Universe and be one of the biggest science facilities on Earth.

SKAO Director-General Professor Philip Diamond will be joined by Minister for Industry and Science The Hon Ed Husic MP, WA Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and Deputy Premier Ms Sabine Winton MLA, and representatives from partner organisations and the Wajarri Yamaji to mark the start of on-site construction of the SKA-Low telescope.

Professor Diamond said SKAO would build and operate the telescopes on behalf of the international community.

“The SKA Observatory’s telescopes will be one of humanity’s biggest-ever scientific endeavours. I have been involved with the SKA project for the past 30 years, so to finally see the start of on-site construction is a momentous occasion,” Professor Diamond said.

“We are thrilled to be working with the Australian government, a founding member of the Observatory; CSIRO, our operations partner in Australia; and our Australian collaborators on a shared journey of discovery, innovation and progress.”

“We are truly grateful to the Wajarri Yamaji for agreeing to host the telescope on their land. We honour their willingness to share their skies and stars with us as we seek to find answers to some of the most fundamental science questions we face.”

“We commit to respecting their connection to the land, and preserving and protecting their cultural heritage.” said Professor Diamond

Minister Husic said Australians should be proud of the country’s involvement in this project.

“This is a historic day, and I am sure we will see many breakthroughs result from the SKA project,” Minister Husic said.

“The cutting-edge technology for the SKA telescopes will expose Australian businesses to new skills and capabilities.”

“We will see these changes flow on to benefit the community, the businesses involved in the project, and Australia, more broadly, for generations to come.”

Among its many science goals, SKA-Low will explore the first billion years after the so-called ‘dark ages’ of the Universe, when the first ever stars and galaxies were forming.

It will also map the structure of the infant Universe for the first time, enabling scientists to watch the births and deaths of the first stars, and help us to understand how the earliest galaxies formed.

“Over the past fifty years we’ve seen our understanding of the Universe revolutionised,” said Dr Sarah Pearce, SKA-Low Telescope Director and head of telescope operations in Australia.

“The SKA Observatory will define the next fifty years for radio astronomy, charting the birth and death of galaxies, searching for new types of gravitational waves and expanding the boundaries of what we know about the Universe.”

The SKA telescopes will be sensitive enough to detect an airport radar on a planet circling a star tens of light years away, so may even answer the biggest question of all: are we alone in the Universe?”

The telescopes’ sheer size and number of antennas means they will provide a significant leap in sensitivity, resolution and survey speed. It will also be able to see the sky more clearly, to reveal fainter details and see more of the sky at once than other state-of-the-art telescopes.

SKA-Low will be eight times as sensitive and will map the sky 135 times faster than comparable current telescopes.

In Australia, the SKAO will collaborate with CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, to build and operate the telescopes.

CSIRO’s Executive Director of Digital, National Facilities and Collections, Professor Elanor Huntington, said the benefits of the SKAO were not limited to astronomy.

“Much of the technology and engineering required for the telescope to work need to be developed for the first time,” Professor Huntington said.

“These advances in engineering, signal processing and computing will not only benefit the astronomy community, but Australian industry as we move further into our data-driven future.”

“The SKAO’s telescopes are providing an opportunity for Australians to innovate and share with the global community. We’re all coming together to not only learn more about the Universe but drive advances in data handling and signal processing,” she said

Western Australia’s Deputy Premier and Minister for Science, the Hon Roger Cook MLA, said he was proud to support the SKA project and welcomed its global impact.

“SKA-Low will be the world’s largest and most capable low-frequency radio telescope. Data collected right here in Western Australia will expand our very understanding of the Universe and drive technological developments across the globe,”

Deputy Premier Cook said. “Beyond the scientific benefits, the SKA project will provide jobs for large numbers of engineers, scientists, and technicians around the world, including in Western Australia.”

“The Western Australian Government will continue to work collaboratively with the Australian Government, CSIRO, SKAO and the Wajarri Yamaji community to ensure the benefits of this landmark project are delivered at home and abroad.” said Cook

At the Australian ceremony today, Monday 5 December, Minister Husic will be making an announcement on the project that will be released publicly later in the day.