Germany has informed the international Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Organisation that it aims to leave the project, and its membership will come to an end next June.
The country's withdrawal was announced in a statement released by the organisation. It notes that there will be "no immediate consequences on the project due to the limited German federal funding that has been issued so far".
Involvement by German institutions, industry and scientists in the SKA's science working groups and in design work, through the design consortia, is unlikely to be affected in the short-term, it says.
However, it notes that, as the project enters its construction phase in 2017/18, Genram industry will be affected as it will no longer be in a position to bid for major engineering contracts that will be awarded during the construction phase. The country's ability to use the telescopes will also be limited, it adds.
The SKA project, which will construct the world's largest telescope, is expected to cost around EUR1.5 billion, which will be split between Africa and sites located in New Zealand and Australia. SA and eight partner countries in Africa will share about 70% of the project, with the rest being divided between Australia and New Zealand.
The SKA will be a mega telescope, about 100 times more sensitive than the biggest existing radio telescope. The telescope array will comprise about 3 000 dish-shaped antennas and other hybrid receiving technologies, with a core of about 2 000 antennas and outlying stations of 30 to 40 antennas each, spiralling out of the core.
Construction on the 64-dish prototype MeerKat has already started, with the entire project set to be complete by around 2025.
The SKA Organisation regrets Germany's decision, but understands it is driven by difficult national financial circumstances around the funding of large research infrastructures in Germany and Europe. "It [Germany's withdrawal] by no means reflects a lack of confidence in the SKA project."
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