Yashwant Gupta

The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Observatory (http://www.skatelescope.org) is a global project that aims to build the next generation, state-of-the-art radio telescope, for addressing a wide variety of cutting-edge science goals, ranging from the birth of the Universe to the origins of life. At present, 12 nations, including India, are participating in this mega-science project, and some more are expected to join shortly. The SKA is expected to revolutionise radio astronomy, while driving the growth of many important new state-of-the-art technologies.

Though the first ideas to build a large radio astronomy facility like the SKA were put forward in the early 1990s, the formal project work started around 2012 with the setting up of the SKA Organisation in November 2011. Given the size and complexity of the full SKA, a decision was taken that the SKA should be built in two phases. The first, SKA1, would comprise ~10% of the final collecting area of the telescopes, but would still be significantly better than any existing facility; and the second phase, SKA2, comprising the remainder, would follow once the first phase was working…read more on NOPR