Konstantin Sukharnikov Scientific instrumentation

A hobby. An independent overview compiled from public sources by a science and space enthusiast. I am not involved in these missions or facilities; my own work is detector electronics at European XFEL. My projects →

Facility · Telescopes

SKA Observatory (SKA-Low and SKA-Mid)

Radio interferometers: low-frequency (antennas) and mid-frequency (dishes)

Status
Under construction
Location
Western Australia (SKA-Low) and the Karoo, South Africa (SKA-Mid); headquarters at Jodrell Bank, UK
Operator
SKAO (intergovernmental organisation)
Next
First SKA-Mid image (expected)

Summary

The largest radio-astronomy observatory under construction: the epoch of reionisation, pulsars (including pulsar timing for gravitational waves) and cosmic magnetism.

Now as of 4 Nov 2026

SKA-Low released its first image in March 2025 (the first four stations, 1,024 antennas) — Physics World. SKA-Mid obtained its first interference fringes in January 2026 with two dishes; the first image from a four-dish array was expected "in the coming months" and has not been confirmed yet (Creamer Media).

Key dates

  1. Mar 2025First SKA-Low imagedone
  2. Jan 2026First SKA-Mid fringesdone
  3. 2026–2027First SKA-Mid imageexpected