SKAO: Birth of a New Global Radio Astronomy Observatory
The international SKAO observatory, dedicated to exploring the universe with radio telescopes, was officially established on February 4, 2021. It is headquartered in the UK, with telescopes located in Australia and South Africa.
The international Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), established to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes, officially launched on February 4, 2021, with its first governing Council meeting. This intergovernmental organisation is dedicated to astronomy.
Catherine Cesarsky has been appointed as the first Chair of the SKAO Council. The observatory's headquarters are located at the Jodrell Bank UNESCO World Heritage Site in the United Kingdom, with telescopes to be constructed in Australia and South Africa. This launch follows more than a decade of detailed engineering design and international collaboration.
The telescope in South Africa will comprise 197 dish antennas, while the Australian facility will feature 131,072 two-meter-tall antennas. The construction phase is estimated to last eight years, with early scientific operations anticipated from the mid-2020s.
Philip Diamond has been appointed as the SKAO's first Director-General. Lars Börjesson, professor of physics at Chalmers University of Technology, serves as Sweden's observer representative to the SKAO Council. Sweden has initiated its formal membership process for the observatory.