Cape Town - Germany’s decision to withdraw from the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will have no immediate consequences, but in the longer term it will compromise German scientists’ use of the telescope, the SKA Organisation says.
Germany told the SKA organisation that the country’s decision was driven by “difficult national financial circumstances around the funding of large research infrastructures in Germany and Europe” and did not reflect a lack of confidence in the project.
The SKA Organisation said that while Germany’s decision was disappointing, it would not have immediate consequences for the project because of the limited amount of funding from Germany.
“However, as the project enters its construction phase in 2017/18, German industry will be most affected by this decision, as it will no longer be in a position to bid for major engineering contracts to be awarded for construction of the SKA. In addition, after the board’s approval of the SKA access principles, the ability of the German science community to use the telescope will be compromised,” the organisation said.
“It is the hope of the organisation that the financial climate will improve sufficiently in the coming year for the German Ministry of Science to reconsider its decision.”
Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor said through her spokesman, Lunga Ngqengelele, that she was satisfied that Germany’s decision had not been because of lack of confidence in the project.
He said Pandor would set up a meeting with her German counterpart in the coming weeks to discuss the matter.
Under the current legal agreements signed by both parties, Germany’s membership of the SKA Organisation will end on June 30 next year.
The project is an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope with a square kilometre of collecting area. It has been hailed as the next big science project after the Large Hadron Collider and the International Space Station.
To date more than e120 million (R1.73-billion) has been invested in 20 countries to support about 500 scientists and engineers working on the design. In March, the UK was the first country to announce a commitment of £100m (R1.77bn) for SKA construction. – Cape Times