Germany has become an official member of the SKAO

1. November 2024

Another milestone for German radio astronomy has been reached: Germany has been admitted as the twelfth member of the international astronomy organisation the SKA Observatory.

The German Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger explains: "There is still much to discover and explore in our universe. As the world's largest radio telescope arrays, the SKAO super telescopes in South Africa and Australia will revolutionize our understanding of the universe in the coming decades. By Germany joining the SKAO, we are enabling researchers from Germany to be right at the forefront. During my visit to South Africa in March last year, I was able to see the enormous potential of the radio telescope for science. SKAO will deliver data in unprecedented quantity and complexity and thus contribute to the development of new methods of data mining, for example, which will be used far beyond basic physics. Basic research will become a technology driver here. Our research institutions such as the Max Planck Society, universities and the German Center for Astrophysics in Lusatia will also benefit from all of this."

For more than 30 years, various stakeholders in Germany and beyond have been planning, developing and negotiating to become part of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO).

Artist's impression of the SKA antennas. Left: for medium frequencies (SKA-MID, South Africa); right: for low frequencies (SKA-LOW, Australia).

Photo: SKAO

SKAO MPG Telescope

"It has been a long and not always easy road that has led us to this important milestone for the entire radio astronomy community in Germany. This significant moment is thus particularly gratifying for everyone involved and we would like to thank the Minister and the BMBF for their support," says Prof. Michael Kramer, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn.

Over the past decades, the MPIfR has played an active role in the design of the SKAO and its telescopes and has developed key technologies with unique benefits for science. Among other things, the institute is playing a key role in the extension of South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope. The 14 MeerKAT+ antennas currently under construction will initially complement the 64 existing antennas operated by SARAO before being integrated into the SKA-Mid telescope in the coming years.

"Even before officially joining, Germany has shown great commitment to the development of the SKAO. The Max Planck Society is looking forward to further cooperation and the results that this major international project will deliver," states the President of the Max Planck Society, Prof. Patrick Cramer.

Together with OHB Digital Connect GmbH and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, the MPIfR has built a prototype antenna for the SKA-Mid telescope in South Africa for technical commissioning and scientific use. The first measurements have already confirmed the expected data quality as well as the excellent capabilities of the telescope and promise unique scientific research results and answers to fundamental astronomical questions.

In the future, the data generated by the SKAO are to be bundled and processed at supercomputer facilities dotted around the SKAO members. In Germany, this will take place at the German Center for Astrophysics (DZA), which is currently being built in Görlitz in Lusatia, as part of the European Data Center.

"The amount of data that the SKAO will generate is comparable to the data volume of the entire Internet. The DZA is looking forward to the challenge of working with the international SKAO partners to ensure that this huge data is used efficiently," explains Prof. Stefan Wagner, head of the Astrophysics Department at the DZA. The development, construction and networking of the required data infrastructure will be coordinated and supported by the DZA and the Association for Data-Intensive Radio Astronomy (VdR).

Prof. Frank Bertoldi, first chairman of the VdR, adds: "Participation in the SKAO challenges German radio astronomy and requires close cooperation between all those involved. The VdR is looking forward to supporting the institutions and their scientists in conducting cutting-edge research with the SKAO."

As the first official act of its SKAO membership, Germany will host the next SKAO Science Conference, which will take place at the DZA site in Görlitz from June 16 to 20, 2025.


Further information

SKA Observatory
https://www.skao.int/

South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO – SKA-MID)
https://www.sarao.ac.za/


Contact

Representatives of the VdR:

Prof. Dr. Frank Bertoldi
+49 228-73-6789

Prof. Dr. Michael Kramer
+49 228 525 278
mkramer@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de