First MeerKAT radio telescope antenna foundation laid


Pouring the concrete for the first MeerKAT dish foundation
Photo by SKA SA
An artist’s impression of a completed MeerKAT dish
Photo by SKA SA
The concrete foundation for the first of 64 dishes for South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope array was laid on Wednesday. The MeerKAT is the successor to the recently-built and now operational seven dish KAT-7 radio telescope array and a precursor to the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope, the major part of which will be sited in South Africa. KAT-7 and MeerKAT are programmes of SKA South Africa (SKA SA).
The foundation contains 9 t of steel and 78 m3 of concrete. “Designing a foundation for a high-tech telescope is complex and challenging since it has to meet a set of stringent requirements,” explained SKA SA GM: infrastructure and site operations Tracy Cheetham.
The design of the foundations comprises eight steel-reinforced concrete piles, at depths of 5 m to 10 m (depending on the soil), with a 1.25-m-thick, 5.2 m by 5.2 m square slab of concrete placed on top of them, to increase stability. There are 32 pre-assembled ‘holding down’ bolts, arranged in a circle, forming a steel ring cage, into which the concrete is poured.
“The foundations must ensure that each of the 19-m-high antennas with its 13.5 m by 16 m main reflector will be exceptionally stable and able to point accurately at distant celestial objects at wind speeds gusting up to 69 km/h as well as survive wind speeds of up to 144 km/h,” she reported. “Another challenge for the design team was to ensure that each antenna was carefully earthed and would not be damaged in the event of a lightning strike.”
The foundations are being constructed by contractor Brink & Health Civils. “This first foundation will now be verified through a series of load tests to ensure that all specifications have been met,” stated Cheetham. “Getting this absolutely right is critically important for the science to be done with this instrument, and will also inform the construction of foundations for other SKA dishes to be built in the Karoo.”
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
















