This cutting-edge radio telescope will transform our understanding of the Universe and is a brilliant example of Ventia’s technical expertise and capability in the Space sector.
Client
The SKA Observatory (SKAO)
Project duration
3 Years | Commenced: December 2022
Description
The SKAO is an international organisation building the world’s largest and most advanced radio telescopes in an international effort that will revolutionise our understanding of the Universe.
The SKAO is building two telescopes – a low frequency telescope (SKA-Low) on Wajarri Yamaji Country in Western Australia, and a mid-frequency telescope (SKA-Mid) in the Karoo in South Africa. Member countries, including Australia, are delivering various components of the two telescopes.
The SKA-Low telescope will comprise an array of 131,072 antennas across 74km of the remote Murchison region of WA, which commenced construction at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, in late 2022.
Ventia, Australia and New Zealand's largest telecommunications infrastructure services provider, was awarded one of the largest SKAO contracts to provide power and fibre networks, and design, construction and commissioning of sophisticated, RFI shielded signal processing facilities for the SKA-Low telescope. Ventia is also delivering camp infrastructure, associated civil works, water treatment facilities and a temporary power station.
On 6 September 2023, Ventia subcontractors began the first terrain clearing earthworks at a section of the SKA-Low telescope’s southern spiral arm. Optic fibre installation machines began trenching the terrain to lay the AARNET fibre link that will connect the telescope to high-powered supercomputers at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre in Perth. SKAO installed the first of the SKA-Low’s 131,072 antennas on 7 March 2024.
Scope of work
- The provision of power and fibre networks, and the design and commission of a Central Processing Facility and Remote Processing Facilities at the Australian site.
- Ventia is also delivering camp infrastructure, associated civil works, water treatment facilities and a temporary power station
Image gallery
A close-up view of the SKA-Low antennas.
Drone image of an antenna field station.
Technical teams lay down mesh at a field station near the core of the telescope to prepare for the installation of antennas.
Main Nyingari Ngurra camp infrastructure, which provides accommodation and recreation facilities for up to 200 workers
An RFI-shielded Remote Processing Facility
A technician tests sensitive equipment at one of the signal processing facilities
Transporting fibre optic cable drums to one of the project sites.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7