Scientific and Technological Park
NAPLES and CASERTA metropolitan areas

SKA PROJECT

SQUARE KILOMETER ARRAY

Technapoli is growing up programs to increasing both technological capability and industrial cluster of selected firms. Moreover, in the last two years Technapoli has been involved in the international project SKA (Square Kilometer Array) for the largest radio telescope construction in the world.


SKA will be a revolutionary radio telescope made of thousands of receivers linked together across an area the size of a continent. Total collecting area of all SKA receivers combined together will be approximately one square kilometre, making SKA the largest and most sensitive radio telescope ever built.


SKA Project aims to realize a 1,500 antennas network, that will be able to operate as a huge dish with a diameter of 3,000 kilometers.


In SKA program are involved institutions coming from 20 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa, and the Americas and countries in Europe, like Italy, The Netherlands, UK, Sweden, Portugal and Russia..


The target cost for the SKA is € 2,000 million.


Industry will play a crucial role in the delivery and for through-life support of the SKA technologies and infrastructure. The scale of the SKA, and the need to mass produce components, requires industry engagement on a scale unprecedented in radio astronomy.

Industry participation in SKA offers the potential for involvement across a range of engineering and computing disciplines. SKA expects to collaborate with a variety of industry partners, including  R&D companies, followed by increasing engagement through commercial contracts with high-volume manufacturers, technology systems vendors, site services and installation firms, and power and data transmission specialists.


SKA Program Development Office (SPDO) identified two possible locations to built up the radio telescope: Southern Africa and Australia.


The final site decision will be made in 2012 and will be based on several factors including the operating and infrastructure costs, as well as levels of radio interference.


Considering that SKA will be built up in Australia or South Africa, ASKAP e MEERKAT developing pathfinder are very promising.

In this context, it is very important to allow to Italian companies to take part in pathfinder activities or in other activities for the radio telescope real construction initial stages, from the beginning.


Technapoli, in close collaboration with Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, is raising up support activities to companies and research centers, for "Consortium" Italian Industrial for SKA creation.


Technapoli has participated to the annual technical meeting for WorkPackage planning in Manchester and starting from October is a Joint Working Group member.


On November 2010, at the Chamber of Commerce of Naples, Technapoli has taken part in an important technical meeting with the participation of South Africa pathfinder exponents to organize Campania’s companies participation to MEERKAT, that provides investments for 80 millions of euros.


On May 2010, Technapoli has organized a mission in Australia to organize Campania’s companies participation to the Australian pathfinder ASKAP (that provides investments for 100 millions of euros).


Moreover, as a result of these activities, it has been possible to star up a new aggregation named Consorzio NASTRO among Technapoli, Euro.Soft srl, FORMIT, FOXBIT, INAF-OACN, Marotta srl, Powerflex, SAM – Società Aerospaziale Mediterranea Scrl, Techno System Development srl, TELESPAZIO, UNINA-DIBET, UNINA-DIS, UNINA-DSF and in partnership with  Finmeccanica, for SKA Program realization.