1. AAS – TWAS – NCST
The Square Kilometre Array Radio
Telescope
Nairobi 27 May 2013

2. Africa–next great economic growth story
• Rapid growth - value added industries, not
only resource extraction
• WEF - huge infrastructure programme
planned
– Greatest constraint is scientific, engineering,
ICT, commercial etc. skills and capacity to
plan, design, build, operate and maintain
• Skills and competency for competitiveness
• ICT underpins everything

3. Africa and Big Science
• Building the world’s largest science
infrastructure in Africa – the Square Kilometre
Array Radio Telescope
• A breakthrough for Africa in how we perceive
ourselves and how others perceive us
• African scientists to do big science and
fundamental science and high-tech – Nobel
Prizes from Africa, by Africans
• Exciting projects to attract young people into
science and technology and keep them in Africa

4. Humans, abstract thought and technology
originated in Africa
4

5. The South African President visits SIP16

6. SKA Dishes
Dishes to cover the frequency range 500 MHz to 10 GHz

7. SKA Dishes
Dishes to cover the frequency range 500 MHz to 10 GHz
Phase 1: 250 Dishes (do science early), 200km baselines
Phase 2: +-3000 Dishes, up to 3000km baselines

8. SKA Dense Aperture Arrays
Array of "tiles" to cover the medium frequency range from 200 to 500 MHz
3 x 3 m tiles will be grouped into circular stations, 60 m in diameter

9. SKA Dense Aperture Arrays
Array of "tiles" to cover the medium frequency range from 200 to 500 MHz
3 x 3 m tiles will be grouped into circular stations, 60 m in diameter

10. SKA Sparse Aperture Arrays
Array of simple dipole antennas to cover frequency range from 70 – 200 MHz
Grouped in 100m diameter stations each containing about 90 elements

11. SKA Cost
• Acquisition cost (capex and NRE)
– I expect about €4 billion – decision on Phase
1 cap in July
• Operations and maintenance over ~50
years
– Probably €~3-400 million per year
• Costs to be covered by members of the
SKA Organisation
• Other contributions possible – EU?

12. SKA Organisation
• Ten countries – UK, Canada, Germany,
Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, China, South
Africa, Australia, New Zealand
• India joining
• Four intend to join – Japan, South Korea,
France, USA
• USA probably after 2020 (Decadal Review
of Astronomy)
• Membership currently €250 000 per year

13. SKA site decision timeline
• Discussions started early 1990s
• Expressions of interest 2003
• Proposals December 2005
• Short list September 2006
• Site testing and planning
• Submit proposals (we sent 27000 pages of
supporting documents) September 2011
• Recommendation for Africa February 2012
• Dual site decision April 2012

14. Proposed SKA construction timeline
• 2013 – 2016 Pre-construction, detailed design
• 2014 – 2016 Members seek SKA1 funding, following
establishment of cost-cap (July 2013) and confirmation of
SKA1 scope.
• 2016/17 Establishment of new governance
arrangements for the SKA Organisation
• 2017 Tender for and procure construction of SKA1
• 2017 – 2020 Detailed design of SKA2
• 2018 – 2021 Construction of SKA1
• 2020 Early science with some components of SKA1
• 2019 – 2021 Seek SKA2 construction funding
• 2022 – 2027 Construction of SKA2

15. Why the SKA?
• Multi-wavelength astronomy
• Science case
– Galaxy evolution, cosmology and dark energy
– Strong field tests of general relativity using pulsars
and black holes
– Origin and evolution of cosmic magnetism
– Probing the Dark Ages –how were the first stars and
black holes formed?
– Detect very weak extra-terrestrial signals and will
search for complex molecules, the building blocks of
life, in space
• And serendipitous discoveries!

17. 2013/06/03 18

18. SKA Split between Africa and Aus

19. The SKA in Africa

21. African Partner Working Group
22

22. What is expected from partners?
• Next working group meeting July 2013 –
Ministers will visit the site
– Institutional, technical and scientific capacity
– Availability of sites
– Testing and characterisation of the sites
– Protection from radio frequency interference through
regulation
– Easy access for work and research for SKAO people
and goods (diplomatic status?)
– No customs, excise duties, VAT
– Participate in planning and delivery in country

23. Radio Frequency Interference
24

24. Cape Town
Port Elizabeth
Kroonstad
Durban
Bethlehem
East London
Camden
Witbank
Richards Bay
Grahamstown
Maseru
Noupoort
Polokwane
Komatipoort
Musina
Phalaborwa
Maputo
Infraco Long Distance Network
KAT Transmission Network:
Ladysmith
Newcastle
George
Kenhardt
Kimberley
De Aar
Bloemfontein
Perseus
Pietermaritzburg
NelspruitPretoria
Minerva
Johannesburg
Legend
Backbone
KAT Network
Data connectivity

25. African Submarine Cable Systems

26. Africa Terrestrial Cable Systems

27. The SKA is an Opportunity
• What we make of it depends on what we put into
it – nothing is given to us on a plate
– Science – Nobel Prizes for Africa?
– Human capital development and skills - critical mass
of young engineers and scientists with expertise in
next-generation technologies (e.g. Big Data; digital
signal processing; HPC; control etc.) and science
– Reverse brain drain
– Strengthen universities
– Stimulating interest in science and engineering
– Jobs in construction, operations and maintenance
– Industry involvement
– Spin-offs

28. Example - Big Data
• Technologies for SKA are innovative
• Big Data creating entirely new industries which will
be very dominant in the global economy – millions
or billions of sensors sending streams of data;
huge data sets requiring ultra-fast computing,
analysis and visualisation, storage.
• SKA >100 x the data traffic of the world-wide web.
– An exabyte of data per day – 1018 bytes
– Exaflop computing speeds – current best is some
petaflops. Equivalent would be ~ 108 laptops
• Use SKA to get young people into Big Data,
wireless, signal processing etc. so that Africa can
play a world-leading role in these new industries.

29. AERAP
• European Parliament Written Declaration
to support Radio Astronomy in Africa
• They have established the Africa-Europe
Radio Astronomy Platform to mobilize
funding and collaboration
• Working with the European Parliament
and Commission and with European and
African astronomers on projects
• Possible major new funding instruments

30. Collaboration
• Mutual benefit agreements
– DOME – IBM Europe, ASTRON (Netherlands), SKA
SA: various aspects of high performance computing
– SKA SA and IBM USA – machine learning
– Intel and SKA SA: pushing next generation chips
– Nokia Siemens and SKA: data transport
– CISCO and NMMU
• CASPER collaboration
• Huawei
• Many universities and institutes

31. Why Precursors?
• Develop and test designs and
technologies
• Understand costs
• Develop science
• Get involved with SA universities to do
MeerKAT science

32. Protected Karoo Site
• 14 000 ha bought
• Protected by Astronomy Geographic
Advantage Act
• Access roads, 33kV specially designed
powerline (no sparking), 10Gb/s optical
fibre, buildings etc. built for Kat 7
• Roads, airstrip, buildings, sub-station
upgrade for MeerKAT

33. SKA Site and the Central Astronomy
Advantage Area

34. Astronomy Geographical Advantage Act
• Empowers the Minister for Science and
Technology to declare protected areas
around strategic astronomy sites by
regulation
• Covers both radio and optical astronomy
• The Act establishes an AGA Management
Authority to regulate and enforce
• Three tiers of protected areas:
• Core area – the physical area of the
observatory / instrument
• Central area – surrounds the core area.
Minister prohibits certain activities /
categories of activities in this area
• Coordination area –Minister sets standards
which activities must comply with
• Protected areas apply to existing and new
activities
• The Act prevails over existing Electronic
Communications Act, where protection of
radio astronomy is concerned

35. MeerKAT Dishes
Our design

37. System engineering
Receptors
(64-elementarray)
PDR
CDR
RR
UserlevelSystemDataprocessing&
Control
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Callforscieceproposals
Projectscoping
Largesurveytime
allocation
Science URS Rev1
Concept design
Requirements
definition
Prelim design
Requirements definition
PDR
Commission
Antenna#1
System
qualification
Antenna#1
Commission
Antennas #2 - 64
Engineering Verification
Antennas #2 - 64
CODR RR
Single-dish back-end
ready
4-element array
back-end ready
- Continuum
imaging
Early Science
Array
Commissioning
32-element array
back-end ready
- Spectal line imaging
- Beam forming
full array back-end
ready
- Transient Search
Prelim design
RR
PDR
Detail design, implementation, qualification and acceptance
Using KAT-7 as development platform
Receptor #1&2 Receptor #4 Receptor #32 Receptor #64
Requirements
definition
Tender
Prelim design
Detail design
Build & qualify
Receptor #1&2
Produce & ATP Receptor #3 - 64
1
2
3
4
Concept definition
System definition
Subsystem
definition
Integration and verification

38. MeerKAT Large Surveys (Science Cases)
22 countries

39. MeerKAT Dish Concept
MeerKATKAT7

40. Antenna Risk/Development Areas
Reflector
•Reflector Accuracy (includes curing distortions)
•Reflector Alignment
•Durability of composites (includes reflectivity)
•Operational scenarios
•Wind/Thermal loading
Feed Indexer
•Concept
•Durability
•Cable Wrap
Jack-screw
•Single-point failure (duty cycle/safety)
Elevation Stage (fairly low risk)
•Drive (sizing/power consumption)
•Bearing
•Cable Wrap
•Encoder Mount
Sub Reflector
•Accuracy
•Alignment
Foundation
•Stability
•Infrastructure
Azimuth Stage
•Drive
•Bearing
•Cable Wrap
•Encoder Mount
Antenna Control Unit
•Functionality
•Reliability/Robustness
•Control system influence pointing
•EMI/RFI considerations
Connecting Beam
•Stiffness (control/
subreflector + feed support
Pointing
•Tight pointing specs
considered significant risk
•Operational scenarios
•Wind/Thermal loading
Lightning
Protection
Reliability
Cost/Procurement
Alignment with SKA

41. MeerKAT Antennas
Antenna Concept Review 30-Oct-12
Installed Antenna #1 02-Dec-13
Antenna #1 qualified and CDR 31-Jan-14
Antenna #2 acceptance testing completed 31-April-14
Antenna #6 acceptance testing completed 21-Nov-14
Antenna #16 acceptance testing completed 16-Jun-15
Antenna #32 acceptance testing completed 20-Nov-15
Antenna #64 acceptance testing completed 19-Sep-16
Contract completion 02-Dec-16

42. MeerKAT L-Band Receiver
• 0.9 to 1.67 GHz
• Without adding cost MeerKAT sensitivity has been
improved from 220 m2/K to 300 m2/K
• Mechanical challenges
• Size and Weight
• Maintaining Vacuum
• Heat Transfer
• Cost Effective Manufacturing
• Design for Manufacture
• Design for Assembly
• Design for testing
• Services
• Vacuum pump
• Compressor
• EM and RF performance are primary design drivers (not
discussed here)

43. DBE: CASPER / ROACH

44. CASPER / ROACH

45. MeerKAT integration lab

46. Cape Town MeerKAT Control Room

48. Dish Assembly
shed
Pedestal
integration shed
Bunkered & RFI
shielded
processor
building and
power room
Expansion of Site Complex for MeerKAT

49. 50
On-site roads

50. Bulk Power Supply to site
Left: Upgrade to
Karoo substation
Top: 33kV power
line (steel section)

51. African VLBI Network (AVN)
Need to fill in
this gap

52. 30-m class antennas in Africa
Contributes to
excellent
science with
European and
other VLBI
networks.
Very exciting
science -
looking at
physics very
close to black
holes.

53. Nkutunse - Ghana
Kenya next - Longonot

54. Nkutunse – SKA SA interaction
55

55. Capacity development
• Use AVN project to build up institutional,
technical, science capacity
• Develop research and teaching in
astronomy and physics – exchange
programmes etc.
• Major technical training
• Interns
• Build HPC skills to become involved in
data processing and science

56. Human Capital Development
• Research chairs
• Visiting / joint professorships
• University grants – support or lecturers
• Postdoctoral fellowships
• Postgraduate bursaries
• Undergraduate bursaries
• Internships
• Technician training – national diplomas
at universities of technology
• FET (artisan) training (from Carnarvon)
– 9 taken in 2010, 8 employed at SKA SA
– Successful initiative
– 15 taken in for 2012
• Development of astrophysics and
related engineering in Africa partner
states
• Mobility grants
A focused and structured
programme with a pipeline
strategy

57. Africa HCD workshop at KAT 7 site (May 2011)
Lots of enthusiasm to work with African universities

58. 5 2 2 3 1
44
74
118
20
42
102
9 10 17 13 1
27
492
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
The South African SKA Project
Human Capital Development Programme
Cumulative statistics of intake by academic level

59. 371
86
35
492
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
South African Foreign African National Non African Total
Numberofbursaries,fellowshipsandgrants The South African SKA Project
Human Capital Development Programme
Cumulative statistics by nationality

60. Astrophysics in Nairobi
• CONGRATULATIONS TO UNIVERSITY
OF NAIROBI ON FIRST 18 GRADUATES
IN ASTROPHYSICS
• A DIRECT RESULT OF SKA!
• STAY IN THE FIELD – DO HIGHER
DEGREES

61. Numberofstudentsawarded
150
342
492
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Women Men Total
Numberofbursaries,fellowshipsandgrants
The South African SKA Project
Human Capital Development Programme
Cumulative statistics by gender

62. Noofstudentsgraduated

63. Post-graduate conference 2013

64. Delegates from African partners

66. Obinna Umeh - Nigeria
• An SKA PhD student supervised by (Clark) and George
Ellis, has been an exceptional achiever. Obinna Umeh is
about to graduate, having recently been awarded his PhD.
An examiner from Oxford thought it a ”remarkable piece of
work” and one of the ”most impressive theses I have read”.
He has published 5 papers already, with two awaiting
acceptance, including an invited Key Issues Review for
Reports on Progress in Physics, a review journal with the
highest impact factor in Physics. With an international
collaborator, he has co-written a major new code for
analytically calculating the Einstein equations to high
accuracy. His work is high-impact: he has nearly 100
citations already.
67

67. 68

68. 69

69. 70

72. Cyber lab

73. The three signatures of an advanced
country are technology, science &
culture. Astronomy needs &
enables them all – George Miley
www.ska.ac.za