The SKA-lowdown with Ant
The launch of the SKA Observatory in February ushers in a new era for radio astronomy. The organisation is now an international body and the construction of the SKA can start in earnest.
We spoke to Ant Schinckel, CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS) SKA Program Director, about what this means on the ground.
What does the launch of the SKA Observatory mean?
It means that the body that will receive funds from the member countries and actually place contracts for the supply of systems and construction of the telescope is now a real legal body, and therefore can start down the path of accepting these funds, developing the procurements and then placing these contracts.
What does the launch mean for the commencement of construction?
The SKAO now can develop the procurements and tender material, and approach the markets in member countries for the supply of equipment and services etc to build the telescope. This process will occur over the next 18 months, as there are many procurements and contracts needed and they can’t all happen at once.
The critical ones will be done first – those with either very long lead times, or that need to commence before others can be implemented. For example, for SKA Low we need a temporary camp on the MRO for the construction crews to stay in while they are building the telescope. So one of the first will be for the provision of this construction camp. It will be more than a ‘camp’ of course! It will be a temporary set of buildings with full facilities including kitchens, dining room, recreation facilities, its own power generation and water treatment.
Then the actual infrastructure work will be needed very soon – we need to build the roads and tracks in for others to use for the installation of the antennas, as well as lay power cables and fibres, etc.
What sort of activity is happening around the world at the moment towards this commencement?
Within each member country, the various design teams are working with the SKAO to begin the process of Contract Readiness Reviews. This process allows for a final review of all the design documents, tender material, proposed NEC4 contracts etc. prior to the actual release to market.
Industry liaison officers within each country will also be preparing for how to approach the relevant industry groups within each country to get the best possible results in terms of cost and performance in the groups that respond to the procurement opportunities.
In some cases, some of the pieces of work are ‘sole source’ contracts to specific suppliers that are already known. For example, some of the highly custom digital electronics contracts will be placed with known specialised design institutes supported by industry groups. In addition, within the two telescope host countries, final work is occurring towards ensuring the sites are ready for construction.
What is CSIRO’s role?
We have multiple roles in the project of course. We will be providing a wide range of parts for the SKA-Low telescope. CASS will be leading the Assembly Integration and Verification the the telescope – this is the critical team that actually takes the sub-systems as they are installed at the MRO, integrates them together, and tests they are working correctly before handing them over to the commissioning team.
CASS has been involved in the design of some of the specialised digital processing systems and will be working with ASTRON in the Netherlands to deliver this, along with appropriate commercial firms as sub-contractors and suppliers. We are also providing some of the software for monitoring and control of SKA-Low, and the complex data analysis system that will be operating on the SKA’s supercomputer in the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, in Perth.
CASS will also be heavily involved in managing the contracts for the construction – in particular, along with industry partners, we will be overseeing the infrastructure construction and antenna installation contracts.
CASS has assembled several great teams to do this work, with women leading several of the most critical teams.
CSIRO is the owner and operator of the MRO site where the telescope will be built, and in the future, CASS is partnering with the SKAO to operate the telescope in Australia.
What are you working on now?
A myriad of things! At one end of the spectrum, working on lease documents and the Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) negotiation, heritage surveys and heritage protection plans. Working with the Wajarri Yamatji (the traditional owners of the MRO site) on heritage protection and ensuring our location of facilities respects this is a key area.
The provision of new facilities such as a new expanded permanent accommodation facility at the MRO, and new facility in Geraldton and space for the SKA staff in Perth. Through to working on the management of construction contracts – who will do that? What staff level is needed?
Also I’m thinking about the overall site readiness from a few other perspectives – permits, roads etc. Also, the SKA will require electricity and due to distance from the nearest grid, this will be a small on site power station, with a very high level of renewable energy.
Management of Radio-frequency interference (RFI) which is critical to radio-astronomy, and ensuring that the project design, construction planning and operations pay acute attention to the restrictions around RFI and ensure they don’t impact the currently operating telescopes.
Final issues associated with the design of the telescope also take some of my time, as small changes representing anything from improved performance of commercially-manufactured parts, to some items becoming obsolete, and developments in computing provide an interesting challenge at this stage of the project!
I’m also involved in reviewing the contract preparedness reviews – are all the design documents and tendering documents ready to go to the market?
Ant Schinckel with ASKAP on location at CSIRO’s Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in outback Western Australia