The Square Kilometre Array has had its fair share of controversy. In March, it was leaked that Australia’s proposal had been upstaged by South Africa and in April, we found out the final decision on where it would be constructed had been delayed. Well, the wait is over — the SKA Organisation has announced that everyone concerned will get a gold star, with the array to be built in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
The decision on the Square Kilometre Array telescope was initially expected sometime around March, and it had been tipped that South Africa, rather than Australia was on course to win the bid. Now it appears that those predictions may have been premature, as the SKA Organisation has instead decided to set up a working group to examine the bids.
Overnight the decision on the SKA array — which we’ve reported on previously– was made in London, although that’s a private decision that we won’t know for some time. Australia’s chief scientist has urged the board to ensure that its decision is based on science, not politics.
We’ve covered the SKA previously, looking specifically at how the NBN and associated fibre technologies are helping in Australia’s bid for the world’s largest telescope. I sat down with Dr Brian Boyle from the CSIRO to dig into the specifics of Australia’s SKA bid and its importance to Australian science. Here’s the first part of that interview.
Australia’s Academic and Research Network (AARNET) is gearing up for big projects like our continuing bid for Square-Kilometre Array—aka the world’s largest telescope. Most recently, that meant trialling upgrades boosting their optical fibe network to 40Gbps, clearing the way to hit 100Gbps within 12 months.
Remember last month when we told you that Australia was in the running for the world’s largest telescope, the Square Kilometre Array or SKA? Claire Connolly over at News is reporting that the NBN is a huge boost to the chances of us winning that tender next February.
Back in 1969, when Neil Armstrong first alighted from the man-made spaceship to step foot on the moon, Australia played a key role in transmitting the footage of that historic moment to the world. But that key moment for Australian science could pale in comparison to the potential of what we could achieve if Australia and New Zealand are successful in our bid to host the world’s biggest telescope, the Square-Kilometre Array, or SKA.
