Ground Breaking Marks Beginnings of SKA Telescope Project

A special ceremony marking the start of construction work on the UK headquarters of a world-leading science project took place on the Square Kilometre Array Global Headquarters premises (SKA GHQ) at The University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank site. The new headquarters, due to open in June 2018, will be the central office for the world’s largest radio telescope.

As part of a consortium of international funding bodies which support the SKA, funding for the HQ has come from the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (£9.8 million) via the STFC, The University of Manchester (£5.7 million) and Cheshire East Council (£1 million) for the £16.5 million project.

STFC Executive Director of Programmes Grahame Blair said: “This is an important project milestone, which demonstrates the UK's leading role in one of the world’s largest science experiments. Hosting the SKA headquarters in the UK at Jodrell will not only ensure this scientific leadership continues, but will also promote the maximum return to the UK economy from the technological developments needed to make the SKA work.”

UK scientists and engineers will be helping to build the world’s largest telescope and the world’s biggest microscope. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) will manage the UK role in these exciting projects which will be at the forefront of science in the coming decade.

The 4,200m2 SKA GHQ will eventually be home to more than 135 staff from more than 13 countries, tasked with managing the construction and operations of the Square Kilometre Array telescopes, located in Southern Africa and Western Australia. The finished telescopes will be several times more sensitive and hundreds of times faster at mapping the sky than today’s best radio astronomy facilities.

Director-General of the SKA Organisation, Professor Philip Diamond said: “In the next ten years, the SKA Global Headquarters will become a real nexus for radio-astronomy internationally, and is a fantastic continuation of the proud history of radio-astronomy at Jodrell Bank.”