Membership of SKAO grows

Following the formal launch of the SKAO in February, its membership is already growing. May and June saw a flurry of activity with China’s ratification of the SKA Observatory Convention, French President EmmanuelMacron’s confirmation that France will join the SKAO, and a cooperation agreement being signed between the Observatory and Swiss technology university EPFL.

In early June, China completed its national ratification process and formally joined the SKAO, following the approval of the national legislature and signature of President Xi Jinping.

China joins the Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, Australia, the UK and Portugal in ratifying the SKAO Convention, meaning that all the original signatories who gathered in Rome in March 2019 have now completed their processes. National participation in the SKAO is led by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

Among China’s many contributions to the SKA project, Chinese industry led the international consortium tasked with designing the SKA-Mid telescope dishes and manufactured two prototype dishes. The first prototype SKA Regional Centre (SRC) was realised at Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, which has since been joined by prototypes in more SKAO partner countries, and researchers based at Chinese institutions are highly active in the SKA science community, with some 50 researchers participating in 13 of the SKAO’s Science Working Groups, a number in constant growth. China’s Guizhou province is also home to the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope and part of the SKA pathfinder family.

More countries are due to join the Observatory in the coming weeks and months. On 28 May, while on a state visit to SKAO telescope host country South Africa, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that France will be among them, announcing during a joint press conference with President Cyril Ramaphosa: “France will join the SKA Observatory.” The announcement followed a unanimous decision by the SKAO Council.

The following week saw further significant news when the prestigious Swiss science and technology university École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) signed a Cooperation Agreement with the SKAO on behalf of the Swiss astronomy community. The agreement between the SKAO and EPFL, which is one of two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, will allow the Swiss scientific and engineering community to participate in the project until a decision by the federal government on Switzerland to join the Observatory as a full Member. In a timely manner, a few days before the signature event, the Federal Council – the country’s highest executive authority– confirmed their intention to eventually join the SKAO as a full member, pending approval from Parliament on the funding required for the participation of Switzerland until 2030.” after Parliament.

“We knew when we signed the SKAO Convention in 2019 that it was just the beginning, and that our membership would grow,” said SKAO DirectorGeneral Prof. Philip Diamond. “To see these rapid developments in recent weeks, with more countries and institutions committing to being part of the SKAO, reflects the incredible momentum behind our global collaboration, and shows that we are on firm footing as we now begin construction.”

French President Emmanuel Macron and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during President Macron’s state visit to South Africa on 28 May 2021, where he announced France will join the SKA Observatory.