Advancement of the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope promises economic benefits for participating countries, provided that geopolitical factors do not impede its progress.
In a nutshell
- Developing the SKA will require more investments in education and infrastructure
- This could result in a broad range of scientific breakthroughs and economic benefits
- Tensions between the U.S. and China could hinder the project
While recent news from Africa has been dominated by political upheaval and coups, this coverage often overshadows significant strides in innovation and science across the continent. Chief among these is the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope, designed to capture unprecedentedly detailed images of deep space from southern skies. The project has the potential to become a powerhouse for the growth and development of the African knowledge economy.
Building the world’s largest telescope
The full instrument is being built incrementally and will eventually comprise some 3,000 radio antennae, spanning nearly 5,000 kilometers across eight African nations plus Australia. Already, the first phases of the 50-year project have contributed to new scientific breakthroughs, new technologies and economic opportunities for Africa and its international partners, for example increased connectivity in rural regions.
To prove the concept, an instrument with seven dishes was initially built on the SKA site in the Karoo, a remote and arid region in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Following Africa’s selection, the precursor instrument was expanded, with a further 64 dishes built for an instrument called the MeerKAT Radio Telescope. MeerKAT was designed and built in the Northern Cape province by South African industries, and the project was completed on time and within budget.
What is radio astronomy?
Radio astronomy is the study of celestial objects that emit radio waves. Unlike optical telescopes, radio telescopes detect radio frequencies emitted by stars, galaxies and other astronomical objects.
Radio telescopes generate huge data volumes, advancing big data technologies. In turn, this can drive technological breakthroughs in fields like signal processing and software development. Radio telescopes require sustainable, powerful energy sources, providing an incentive to invest in energy infrastructure.
According to Professor Justin Jonas, a South African astronomer at Rhodes University who was instrumental in South Africa’s bid, “The data rate produced by the MeerKAT is comparable to the entire internet bandwidth worldwide, making the operation of the telescope a significant big-data challenge. … The MeerKAT has surpassed all expectations, even capturing the best-ever image of the center of our galaxy.”
The next phase will focus on infrastructure, engineering, writing software and industrializing hardware. South Africa plans a further 196 dishes by 2027. The MeerKAT is to be eventually integrated into the SKA-Mid, as part of the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network of the eight SKA partner countries in Africa.
The organization handling the process, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), has its head office in the United Kingdom. At this stage, eight countries have signed the SKA treaty: Australia, China, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The SKAO is continually negotiating with more countries to sign up and the plan beyond 2030 is to include other African countries as full members. The organization is also looking into bringing in Middle Eastern countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, while Japan and South Korea are looking to join as well.
Surprisingly, the United States is not a member. Its refusal to participate in the SKA project stemmed from prioritization decisions within the American astronomical community, which faced budget constraints. Still, there is regular contact between the SKAO and the American National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
The U.S. is currently working on a project similar to the SKA called the next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), which it plans to extend into Mexico. There are concerns within the American security community about China’s involvement in the SKA. At the same time, many worry that if the U.S. does not participate in the project, it could miss out on significant scientific advancements and knowledge.
Full membership opens the door to commercial participation. The SKA’s procurement model is based on a rule called “just return,” which means member countries get back 70 percent of the value they invest. This led to the relocation of satellite-dish manufacturing from Germany to China, a decision that led to some dissatisfaction in Europe and the U.S. The intellectual property (IP) policy of the SKAO is that all foreground IP, which includes new technologies developed during the project, is owned by the organization. This policy has been agreed upon by all member states, including China. However, background IP, which refers to pre-existing technology brought into the project, remains the property of the original developer.
African astronomy boom
Historically, the UK, the U.S., the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Australia were leaders in radio astronomy, but today India and China are building more telescopes than all those countries combined. South Africa was the leader of an African consortium with eight partner countries – Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia – that won the bid to host the SKA.
The African bidders understood that they would need to upgrade the available skills in radio astronomy science and engineering research, as well as the technical capacity required to support site operations if they won. This led to a significant leap forward in competencies and expertise, contributing to the advancement of Africa’s knowledge economy.
Since 2005, the SKA steering committee has spent 10-20 percent of its budget on bursaries. African partner countries like Ghana and Ethiopia received funding from the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation for training and infrastructure. A donated telecommunications dish was turned into a radio telescope in Ghana.
Approximately 100 scientists in Africa now specialize in astronomy, resulting in a growing output of academic papers. To date, South Africa has published around 500 papers, Egypt 100 and Nigeria 50. The expertise of African astronomers and engineers is increasingly recognized in academic, astronomical and business circles.
The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), a national astronomy facility of the National Research Foundation, has been created to implement South Africa’s strategic investments in radio astronomy. In addition to the SKA headquarters in the UK, there are now SKA offices in Cape Town (close to SARAO offices for collaboration) and in Geraldton, Australia.
