SKAMPI

The antennas of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), currently under construction in South Africa and Australia, will become the largest radio telescope network on Earth in the coming years. The Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) has also played an active role in the development of the SKA for decades. To develop key technologies with unique scientific benefits, the MPIfR, together with OHB Digital Connect GmbH and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), has built the SKA-MPIfR telescope (SKAMPI) - a prototype antenna for the SKA Mid telescope in South Africa.

  • Mid-2018: Assembly of SKAMPI in the Karoo semi-desert in South Africa
  • December 2019: Initial test observations
  • Early 2022: Completion of technical commissioning such as system evaluation, radio-frequency-interference testing and performance testing

The telescope is now routinely used for observations from Bonn. It has proven its capabilities in scientific observations. SKAMPI is currently being used for sky surveys, pulsar observations, the study of active galactic nuclei, and the exploration of fast radio bursts. In addition, the telescope serves as a test infrastructure for the D-MeerKAT consortium and will be available for tracking satellite data as well as for VLBI measurements.

Side view of the SKAMPI telescope in front of a blue sky with clouds on the horizon.
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