AAC Clyde Space Delivers First SKAO Pre-production Band 1 Feed System to South Africa
AAC Clyde Space's subsidiary AAC Omnisys has delivered the first pre-production Band 1 feed system to South Africa for installation on the SKA-Mid telescope. The delivery marks an important milestone in AAC Omnisys' work for the SKA Observatory, an international effort to build and operate next-generation radio telescopes that will transform our understanding of the Universe.
The first system will support on-site installation and verification activities on an SKA-Mid dish in South Africa, providing important input for the continued manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing work.
AAC Omnisys is responsible for finalising, verifying and producing Band 1 feed systems for the SKA-Mid telescope. The Band 1 feed is the receiver system mounted on the telescope dish to collect radio signals from space. It covers a frequency range from 350 MHz to 1050 MHz, continuing the coverage from SKA-Low in Australia, which will observe from 50 MHz up to 350 MHz. Each receiver is around one metre across and weighs approximately 180 kg.
The system builds on proven prototype technology first developed by Sweden's Onsala Space Observatory, a long-standing partner in the SKA project, and subsequently tested in Canada and South Africa on the MeerKAT telescope. AAC Omnisys is taking this advanced Swedish radio astronomy technology through finalisation, verification and industrial delivery, helping turn it into operational hardware for one of the world's leading research infrastructures.
“AAC Omnisys has built a strong position in advanced radio and microwave instruments for demanding international programmes,” says Luis Gomes, CEO of AAC Clyde Space. “Our work for the SKA Observatory, alongside missions such as Arctic Weather Satellite and EPS-Sterna, shows how this specialist expertise can be applied across radio astronomy, weather and space. With the first Band 1 feed system delivered to South Africa, that capability is now becoming visible in hardware built for one of the world's most ambitious research infrastructures.”
The delivery is part of the EUR 12.0 million contract announced by AAC Clyde Space on 1 December 2023.