SA allocates R500m for telescope

2007-05-28 10:21

Cape Town - South Africa plans to be both home to the world's largest radio telescope, and to help build it, Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena said on Friday.

Speaking in his department's budget vote debate in the National Assembly, Mangena said R500m had been allocated for the project.

"Initially, in our bid for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) we intended to be considered only as site. However during the bid process, it soon became clear that we could play a far greater role in the development of the SKA technology and its science," he said.

The country's other telescope project, the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT), would help develop skills required for the larger SKA project.

"We have assembled an excellent team to build KAT, which will be equivalent to approximately one percent of the SKA.

"One of the welcome results of this mission-driven innovation has been a steady attraction of key personnel back to South Africa," he said.

South Africa and Australia are short-listed for the SKA project.

Mangena said its was unlikely that the bidding process would be concluded before the end of the decade.

- SAPA