The final dish of the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT-7) has been constructed ahead of time.
To mark this milestone, minister of science and technology Naledi Pandor will lead a high-level ministerial visit to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) site, in Carnavon, in the Northern Cape, tomorrow, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
She will be accompanied by ambassadors of the eight other countries (Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya, Ghana and Zambia) that are partners in this initiative, says ministerial spokesman Lunga Ngqengelele.
“This is aimed at celebrating a major milestone in Africa's international bid to host the SKA, which is deemed to be the world's most powerful radio telescope,” says the DST.
The design and construction of the MeerKAT, an operational demonstrator telescope, is a core component of the country's bid to host the SKA, explains the DST. “To achieve this objective, the construction of the seven-dish KAT-7 serves as the MeerKAT precursor array.”
Ahead of schedule
The department is confident the construction of the seventh and final dish of the KAT-7 gives Africa a significant advantage over Australia, the only other contender in the bid to host the SKA.
“We have finished it way ahead of time, so this displays SA's capabilities to host the SKA,” says Ngqengelele.
He adds that the seven dishes of the KAT-7 are the most powerful in the Southern Hemisphere, positioning Africa as the favourable continent to win the bid.
“The KAT-7 will serve as both an engineering test-bed and as an operational radio telescope. The MeerKAT will be one of the largest scientific research facilities in the world and will consolidate Africa as a major global hub for astronomy in the world,” says the DST.
Ngqengelele adds that it will attract scientists and engineers to Africa, to work on the telescope.
Attracting the best
“It will provide unrivalled opportunities for scientists and engineers from across Africa to engage with transformational science and cutting-edge instrumentation, as well as to collaborate in joint projects with the most renowned universities and research institutions in the world,” says the department.
“We have started with seven dishes and the next step is to build 80. But this will be done on an incremental basis,” says Ngqengelele.
He explains that the seven dishes of the KAT-7 are now operational, but only if SA gets the bid for the SKA will the next 80 dishes be built.
He says the results of the bid will be announced in 2012.
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