Australasian SKA

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Image credit – Dave DeBoer, CSIRO

An historic milestone was reached recently in Australia’s bid to host the Square Kilometre Array telescope – a future international radio telescope that will be the world’s largest and most sensitive.

The first antenna to be assembled as part of the Australia Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope, an important precursor to the Square Kilometre Array, has received its first radio signals.

“ASKAP’s progress to date shows that our goals, although ambitious, are achievable,” said CSIRO’s SKA Director, Professor Brian Boyle.

”The journey to a thousand SKA dishes begins with a single photon.”
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The International SKA Forum 2010 will take place on 15 June 2010 at the TT Hall in Assen, the Netherlands.
ISKAF2010 is one of the series of international meetings and events which will take place in the Netherlands over the period 10-16 June 2010. See www.astron.nl/iskaf2010 for more details. Registration for the International SKA Forum (ISKAF2010) will be open soon.

It is envisaged that a strong ASKAIC contingent will be attending the International SKA Forum in June 2010, to follow up on their commitment to prior annual events in Australia (Perth) and South Africa (CapeTown)

To follow-on from a successful series of events in Perth and Geraldton, ASKAIC has planned further activities in Auckland New Zealand 18th – 19th February, as a tangible demonstration of the growing strength of the Trans-Tasman industry relationship.  The following events have been scheduled in close liaison with the New Zealand Government:

• CEO’s Dinner – hosted by Industry Minister Gerry Brownlee
• ASKAIC Management Meeting
• Industry Capabilities Workshop as it applies to SKA
• Industry Briefing Session
• ASKAIC Working Group Meeting
• Technical (Streamed) discussions

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Popular Science - David Kidd

We’ve spent the last 300 years peering at the stars through a pinhole – but now were going to build a floodlight to see more than ever before….Read Full Article Here

As a key Australasian industry body, ASKAIC assumes an influential strategic and tactical role in supporting ASKAP development and the Australian SKA Coordination Committee in winning the full SKA* facility for this region.

SKA: the road to the Centre of the Universe - John Goldsmith, ICRAR/Curtin PhD Student – Perth 2009

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA)* project presents a unique opportunity for Australasia to play a lead role in one of the world’s greatest scientific facilities. Industry welcomes this opportunity, and recognises that the attraction of the full SKA to this region is enhanced by a strong, globally-connected partnership between industry, government and research in Australia and New Zealand. This collaboration, offered via ASKAIC, is a global exemplar of the way in which the public and private sectors can work together productively in pursuit of a common goal.