| 14th of March 2019 |
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| SKA treaty signing |
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Ministers, Ambassadors and other high-level representatives from over
15 countries gathered in Rome this week for
the signing of the treaty
which establishes the Square Kilometre Array Observatory
(SKAO), the intergovernmental organisation (IGO) tasked with
delivering and operating the SKA.
Seven countries signed the treaty: Australia, China, Italy, The
Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa and the United Kingdom. India and
Sweden, who also took part in the multilateral negotiations to set up
the SKA Observatory IGO, are following further internal processes
before signing the treaty. Together, these countries will form the
founding members of the new organisation.
Dr. Catherine Cesarsky, Chair of the SKA Board of Directors, added "Rome wasn’t built in a day. Likewise, designing, building and operating the world’s biggest telescope takes decades of efforts, expertise, innovation, perseverance, and global collaboration. Today we’ve laid the foundations that will enable us to make the SKA a reality." Prof. Philip Diamond, Director-General of the SKA Organisation which has led the design of the telescope added: "Like Galileo’s telescope in its time, the SKA will revolutionise how we understand the world around us and our place in it. Today’s historic signature shows a global commitment behind this vision, and opens up the door to generations of ground-breaking discoveries." (Image credit: SKAO) |