The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Observatory (SKAO) has so far awarded contracts worth about R1.2-billion to South African companies and institutions, for work on the SKA-Mid radio telescope array, being created in the Northern Cape province’s Karoo region. This was pointed out by SKA-Mid construction director Tracy Cheetham at a media briefing at the SKAO South Africa offices in Cape Town, on Monday.

The SKA will, when completed, be the biggest radio telescope ever built, composed of two arrays, one, in South Africa, covering the middle of the radio frequency spectrum, and the other, in Australia, covering the low end of the radio spectrum. The head office of the SKAO is in the UK. She described the SKAO as “one observatory, with two radio telescopes, operating at three sites”.

The South African group that has received the biggest contract is Power Adenco Joint Venture (JV). This contract is worth R889-million and is for the construction of the major civil infrastructure for the SKA-Mid. This includes the construction of roads, and the roll-out of power systems and fibre networks, which is ongoing. Completion of all the required infrastructure is expected by the middle of 2025.

A requirement of Power Adenco JV’s contract is that the group provide sub-contracting opportunities to small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) in the region around the SKA-Mid site. It is estimated that R100-million will go to local SMMEs and to the training, skills transfer to, and employment of, local people.

Another important contract awarded in South Africa is for the development of software for the SKA-Mid. That has gone to the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory. Other South African companies that have won SKAO contracts include EMCOM, VIVO and Zutari.

Cheetham reported that the SKA-Mid dishes will be individually powered, using photovoltaic (PV) arrays (that is, solar power). As for the centralised facilities on the site, hybrid power, including PV, is being looked at. A low frequency radio communications system is being installed, to allow people working across the site (on dish maintenance, for example) to communicate with each other.

The land for the core of the SKA-Mid array has been secured, she also reported. It is now a national park and is being managed by SANParks.