Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO): India recently inked an interim agreement to confirm its commitment to working on a mega-science project called “Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO)”.

Key Highlights:

• The Cooperation Agreement between India and SKA was signed virtually.
• India was represented by TIFR – National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) on behalf of department of Atomic Energy (DAE), India.
• The agreement is to be valid for one year.

Significance of the Agreement:

This project will facilitate India in making its first monetary contribution towards the construction phase of SKA which got underway in 2021.

About SKAO:

• Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) is a private organization dedicated to radio astronomy.
• On 12 March 2019, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) consortium was founded in Rome by seven initial member countries.
• It is headquartered in Cheshire, United Kingdom (UK).
• At the moment, organizations from ten countries are a part of the SKAO.
• These include Australia, Canada, China, India, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK.

Is India a member country of SKA?

• No, at present, India is just a participating country in the setting up of world’s largest radio telescope.
• It is yet to receive central government’s approval to become a Member Country.

Note: India was a member of the SKA Organisation but it is yet to become a member of the SKA Council.

SKA Council:

• In December 2020, the SKA Organization graduated to become SKA Council.
• The council is an umbrella body to plan, oversee and undertake the construction of SKA Observatory.
• It also manages operations of facility in decades to come.

SKA Telescope:

• The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is an intergovernmental radio telescope project. The SKA will be built in the southern hemisphere, with cores in South Africa and Australia, where the view of the Milky Way Galaxy is the best and radio interference at its least.
• It is proposed to be world’s largest radio telescope.
• In 2011, the SKAO Council approved the establishment of the project mentioned above.
• Its operation, maintenance and construction will be overseen by SKAO.
• It is likely to be operational by the end of this decade.

Note: Four precursor facilities are already operating:-

1. MeerKAT and the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array
2. (HERA) in South Africa,
3. The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) 
4. Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Western Australia.

Background of SKA:

• SKA was started in 1990s.
• It was further developed and designed by late-2010s.
• After completion, it will have a total collecting area of approximately one square kilometre.

Significane of SKA Telescope:

• SKA telescope will operate across a wide range of frequencies.
• Its size will make it 50 times more sensitive as compared to any other radio instrument.
• It will require very high-performance central computing engines as well as long-haul links.
• If it is built as planned, it would be able to survey the sky about ten thousand times faster than before.