Name of the Project
MeerKAT extension (MeerKAT+) project.

Location
Karoo region of the Northern Cape, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).

Project Description
MeerKAT is intended as a precursor to the giant Square Kilometres Array (SKA) radio telescope, which will be stationed in South Africa and Australia. Meerkat is intended to be integrated into the midfrequency component of the SKA (known as SKA-Mid); Australia will host the low-frequency component (SKA-Low).

The SKA arrays will create the most sensitive radio telescope ever built, with the Phase 1 SKA-Mid planned to have 197 dish antennas, which will include the 64 dishes of the original MeerKAT. SKA-Low will have about 131 000 simple aerial antennas.

MeerKAT+ will expand the MeerKAT array by 20 dishes.

This increase will allow for the maximum distance between the array’s dishes to be dramatically increased from 8 km to about 20 km, which will significantly increase its sensitivity and the resolution of the radio images that it will capture.

The new dishes for MeerKAT+ will be built according to the specifications agreed for the SKA-Mid Phase 1 dishes. 

The expanded array will be focused on sky survey programmes, covering the southern sky.

A key aim will be the study of transient radar sources, including fast radio bursts and pulsars.

Another priority will be cosmology – the study of individual galaxies and large-scale structures in the universe.

The expansion will also require a tenfold increase in the telescope’s computing power.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
R900-million.

Planned Start/End Date
MeerKAT+ is expected to start early science operations in 2024, followed by full science operations.

Latest Developments
SARAO has awarded the contracts for the construction of the infrastructure required for the expansion of the MeerKAT radio telescope array.

Nonprofit research organisation the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft has already built an SKA-Mid dish demonstrator at the MeerKAT site in the Karoo. This demonstrator is serving as a testbed for the SKA and MeerKAT+ projects.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (SKA-Mid dish demonstrator).

Contact Details for Project Information
SARAO, email enquiries@ska.ac.za.