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Last week
the first antennas of the SKA-Low telescope were deployed on
Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy
Observatory, on Wajarri Country.
The antennas are the first of the 131,072 two-metre-tall, Christmas
tree-shaped antennas that will make up the radio telescope.
(These are the first antennas that will be part of the final SKA-Low array,
as opposed to earlier deployments elsewhere on the site,
such as AAVS3, used to prototype and test
antennas and equipment.)
An Indigenous Land Use Agreement ensures Wajarri cultural heritage
will be protected and the Wajarri Yamaji People will receive
sustainable and intergenerational benefits in areas such as
training and education.
A similar milestone is
imminent in South Africa for the SKA-Mid telescope, which will ultimately comprise 197
dishes. Components for the first SKA-Mid dishes arrived on site in the
Karoo in February and assembly is now under way.
(Image credit: SKAO)
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