The much awaited Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, which involves astrophysicists from across the world, including India, has finally kicked off. On Wednesday, the final discussions on the project design and its execution began at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), which is on the Pune University’s premises.
The huge Radio Telescope, biggest in the world, will be co-located in less populated areas of South Africa and Australia. The SKA’s telescope manager will be designed by an international consortium involving 11 countries, led by NCRA, Pune. The other 10 countries which are part of the project are United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, China, Australia, South Africa Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and New Zealand.
Astrophysicists said SKA will be operational by 2020.
“The SKA will have the capability to find out how the first stars and the galaxies were formed after the big bang, the gravity and the search of water on other planets,” said Yashwant Gupta, the project lead and dean of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, Khodad.
Gupta said that the responsibility of designing the telescope manager has been given to NCRA as the centre, along TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research), has hands on experience in designing, building, operating and maintaining the world’s largest low frequency radio telescope in Khodad of Pune district.
A research team of Tata Research Development and Design Centre, Pune will be helping NCRA in the project. Professor Phil Diamond, director general of SKA organisations said, “We have been able able to pull together a team of some of the world’s best experts, most prestigious institutions and major companies, which reflect the passion and ambition of the scientific and engineering communities to work on an inspirational world class project of the scale of SKA.”
Gupta said that the telescope manager will perform the crucial task of sending control commands to various sub systems, continuously monitoring the status of the telescope as well as ensuring safety. By 2017, the final design of the telescope will be ready for erection, he said.
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