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International radio telescope project issues RFP for design of key systems

15th March 2013

By: Keith Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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The body which heads the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project, the UK-based SKA Organisation, has issued a request for proposals (RfP) for the pre-construction phase of the telescope. The RfP is directed at international consortia, to invite them to submit bids for work packages for the SKA.

These work packages will involve the design of key systems and components for the instrument, including antennas, data transport systems, high performance computers, receivers and signal processing systems. The aim of the pre-construction phase is to produce complete designs and blueprints for the SKA, allowing the SKA Organisation to issue tenders for the first construction phase.

The agency responsible for SKA-related activities in South Africa (including the precursor MeerKAT radio telescope array) is SKA South Africa (SKA SA). It reported in a press release on Friday that it “is positioned to play a prominent role in responding to this request because of the expertise contained in the SKA South Africa project team” as well as the involvement of local industry in the development and construction of the MeerKAT.

“The MeerKAT engineering team and local industries have been in discussions with their international peers to form consortia that will respond to the RfP,” it pointed out. SKA SA “is in the process of finalising a subsidy programme where local industry and institutions will be assisted to participate in this preparatory phase of the SKA on a shared risk basis, in order to develop the expertise, competency and know how to be internationally competitive in bidding for SKA contracts when the telescope is built.”

The pre-construction phase runs from now until the end of 2016. The actual construction of the instrument will be split into two phases. Phase 1 will run from 2016 to 2020 and Phase 2 from 2020 to 2024.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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