Spain takes part in constitution of new SKAO international body, the world's largest radio-astronomy observatory

Spain has taken part in the council meeting to constitute this new international body, which is the second one to be engaged in astronomy after the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

Over the last two decades, Spain has played an active role in the design phase of the observatory, with significant participation from the national scientific community in the definition of SKA science, an effort that has been contained in the white book on scientific aspects related to the new infrastructure published in 2015, in which 120 scientists took part from more than 40 national institutions. In addition, our industry has played an important role through its contributions to most of the design consortiums of the infrastructure, estimated at a cost of close to 4 million euros.

Spain's commitment to the construction of the observatory amounts to 41.4 million euros over the next 10 years. The construction of the telescopes is due to last eight years, with the first scientific results available in the mid-2020s. In addition to the advancements that the SKAO will mean in terms of astronomy, its creation will give a major boost to other fields, such as digital technology and communication, supercomputing and big data, and it will become a driver of the ecological transition and open science.

The Minister for Science and Innovation, Pedro Duque, welcomed the constitution of the new observatory, underlining Spain's involvement in the exhaustive study and design process. He also highlighted that this is the start of a new era for radio-astronomy thanks to the construction of one of the most ambitious telescope projects in the history of astronomy.

The minister also highlighted that Spain will actively take part in the new observatory through a strategically positioned scientific community and a well-prepared industry.

Non official translation