What was the state of astronomy inherited in 1994?
The new government inherited a very small astronomy community in 1994 with only about 60 astronomers (and 5 of them were radio astronomers). Today the astronomy community has more than tripled with over 200 astronomers due to significant investments and policy developments made by the new government. Astronomy is a good miracle story to tell and a success of the new government in demonstrating that large research infrastructures can have both scientific and socio-economic benefits.
South Africa’s leadership in astronomy reached a historic milestone in August 2024 with the hosting of the International Astronomical Union’s General Assembly (IAU GA 2024) in Cape Town. This event marked the first time in the IAU’s 105-year history that the General Assembly was held on African soil. Supported by over 50 organizations across Africa, this achievement showcased the growth of South Africa’s astronomy community and its global recognition as a hub for cutting-edge research and collaboration. It also emphasized the vital role of the African Astronomical Society (AfAS) in driving pan-African partnerships and strengthening Africa’s voice in global astronomy.
Astronomy was established in South Africa just over two hundred years ago with the establishment of the Royal Observatory on the grounds of what is today known as the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape Town. SAAO celebrated 200 years of existence in 2020 when it was declared a national heritage site.
This was followed by the establishment of the 26m radio telescope at the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomical Observatory (HartRAO) in the early 60s.
Astronomy experienced a major shift in the new democratic dispensation with the development of the two major international telescopes in South Africa which include 10m Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in Sutherland which is the largest optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere and the MeerKAT telescope in Carnarvon as a precursor to the SKA project. SALT was commissioned in 2010 and MeerKAT in 2018. The South African SKA Project Office (SASPO) which was established in 2003 with the aim of bidding to host the SKA Telescope was later merged with HartRAO in 2017 to form the South African Radio Astronomy (SARAO), which is responsible for the development of radio astronomy in the country.
Both SAAO and SARAO are the two national astronomy facilities under the NRF with SAAO responsible for the development of optical and infrared astronomy in the country. On 25 May 2012, the site bid decision was made by the global SKA Organisation for South Africa and Australia to co-host the telescope.
In addition, there are also key astronomy programmes that were developed.
- As part of the SKA project, the African Radio Astronomy Programme (ARAP) was initiated. The overall aim of the programme is to develop radio astronomy capacity and infrastructure development in the 8 African countries partnering with South Africa in the SKA project. One of the ambitious objectives of the ARAP is to develop the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (AVN) in the partner countries – the AVN being a network of distant radio telescopes connected together to operate to improve resolution of pictures. The major achievements of this programme thus far include the establishment of astronomy courses in various Universities in the partner countries, establishment of research infrastructure and setting up of astronomy governance institutions and development of policy.
- The South African Gamma-Ray Astronomy Programme (SA-GAMMA), is a consortium involving multiple South African universities and research facilities, aimed at advancing gamma-ray astronomy in South Africa.. North-West University coordinates South Africa’s involvement in both the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) telescope, one of the world’s leading international observatories located in Namibia, and the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), the planned next-generation telescope set to replace H.E.S.S. upon completion in the next 5–7 years. SA is an associate member of H.E.S.S./CTA consortium and the annual membership fee (R3.5m) is funded by the DSI-NRF research infrastructure budget.
- The Inter-university Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA) is a partnership of 3 SA universities (UCT, UWC and Pretoria) and SARAO, with the overarching goal of IDIA is to build within the SA university research community the expertise in data intensive research in astrophysics.
- In addition to the SKA HCD Bursary Programme (R80m annual budget), there is also the National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP) with a R20m annual budget – NASSP is a multi-institution consortium between universities and national facility partners to produce MSc graduates with appropriate skills to continue with PhD studies. NASSP is divided up regionally into 3 nodes hosted at UCT, UKZN and NWU but in total it is a network participation of thirteen institutions. NASSP is basically a joint Master’s degree programme with students enrolling and graduating at a local university but with teaching and supervising provided through the network.
- There are 8 SARChI research chairs in astronomy and big data at various universities to support the growth and capabilities of astronomy sector.
The following policy developments led to the growth of astronomy as this discipline was developed as a flagship project and a science mission.
- The Department enacted the Astronomy Geographical Advantage (AGA) Act No. 21 of 2007 to protect the astronomy sites in the Northern Cape by declaring the province as an astronomy reserve.
- The Dept subsequently developed a National Strategy for Multi-wavelength Astronomy (NSMWA) approved in 2015 to guide the holistic growth of the discipline. The aim of the Act and the Strategy is to ensure the delivery of world-class research, driving transformation, and adding value to the knowledge economy of South Africa.
- Significant investments made in the discipline of astronomy which was identified as a flagship basic science area by the 1996 White Paper, the National Research and Development Strategy of 2022 and the 2008-2018 Ten Year Innovation Plan. A total of about R1 billion is spent annually by the DSI-NRF in astronomy – this excludes own investments by universities in the discipline of astronomy.
- What is the SKA? How many partners, how long and extensively have we planned for it, and why is it regarded as such an important project for the SA NSI?
The 1996 White Paper on Science and Technology emphasised the necessity to grow fundamental science research and identified astronomy as a flagship science, while the National R&D Strategy of 2002 emphasised astronomy as one of the scientific disciplines in which South Africa enjoyed a geographical advantage. Building on the success of the SALT telescope and South Africa’s active involvement in the H.E.S.S., coupled with the pristine geographic conditions support both radio and optical astronomy, the country took advantage of the developing policy and strategic environment to continue establishing and maintaining South Africa’s competitiveness as a destination for large multinational astronomy projects and took the opportunity to bid for the rights to host the largest radio telescope in the world, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). The Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act (AGA, Act 21 of 2007) which seeks to protect and preserve strategic astronomy installations through Ministerial regulations that restrict activities that could potentially harm or interfere with astronomy observations within identified astronomy advantage areas also contributes to South Africa as a preferred destination for astronomy research.
In order to prove its engineering and management capability to host the telescope, the country installed the 7-dish Karoo Array Telescope (KAT-7) as a prototype and engineering test bed for the development of the MeerKAT array. The 64-dish MeerKAT telescope stands as an engineering masterpiece and is widely recognized as the most advanced radio telescope of its kind. It is currently producing ground breaking science and attracting scientists from all corners of the world, while also attracting investments to further enhance its science capabilities.
The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) is a global endeavour to establish the largest radio telescope in the world. The project is managed by the SKA Observatory (SKAO), which is an intergovernmental organisation of eleven member countries: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom, and South Africa, with South Africa as one of the founding members. The Mid Frequency component of the mega telescope, which South Africa was selected to host, is being constructed in the Northern Cape, close to the small town of Carnarvon.
The SKA will be able to conduct transformational science, breaking new ground in astronomical observations, contributing to transformational science, as the telescope will be capable of addressing key questions in physics and astronomy, thereby positioning the country as a hub for astronomy research.
- What do you regard as the factors that led to our success being selected as co-host
- “Scientific and Engineering capabilities in South Africa to design, develop and manage high tech and innovative projects
- Competitive cost of labour and resources compared to other big countries
- Good Skills base
- Good STI policies
- Supportive government”
- Scientific impact
- Scientific outputs grown from below average to twice above the global average – global ranking in astronomy increased from 33 to 21 – one of the fastest growing sciences in SA with several discoveries being made. Over 360 MeerKAT scientific papers published to date from 2018.
- The size of the astronomy community has tripled over 15 years from 60 PhD astronomers to over 200 with the pipeline increasing at a fast pace.
- The IAU GA 2024 highlighted South Africa’s leadership in astronomy, drawing over 2,600 participants from 107 countries. This milestone event showcased the achievements of South African and African astronomers and emphasized the role of AfAS in fostering collaboration, building networks, and driving the growth of astronomy across the continent..
- Through the SKA Human Capital Development programme, over 1500 scholarships and fellowships have been awarded for studies spanning from undergraduate to postdoc in Astrophysics, engineering and computing skills as well as in artisan/technical skills.
- Eight astronomy Research Chairs awarded at various universities to develop local scientific capacity
- Socio-economic Impact
Over and above its science goals, the establishment of the SKA telescope will result in major socioeconomic developments including job creation, human capital development and skills development, astro-tourism, community development, and technological developments. A recent independent study has already confirmed that the implementation of the precursor to the SKA, the MeerKAT telescope, which is wholly a South African instrument has resulted in major positive developments in the surrounding towns, the Northern Cape province and the country at large.
- Lessons learned and challenges remaining
Lessons:
- Stakeholder management (Local, provincial, National and International) is key to the success of a large-scale project such as the SKA,
- A strong socioeconomic approach is essential, the project must put something on the ground for the community to appreciate, use the project to provide opportunities for political leaders to interact with the community,
- A rigorous engineering approach is essential to deliver a quality instrument that justifies the financial investment.
Challenges
- Managing the dynamics of an Inter-Governmental Organisation,
- Adequate funding to meet hosting obligations,
- Radio Frequency Interference
- The way forward
The focus is on the MeerKAT extension project. Germany and Italy are partnering with South Africa to install an additional 13 antennas to the MeerKAT telescope to enhance its science capabilities.
Construction on the global SKA-Mid project is well underway, with the assembly of the first telescope dish completed on-site in South Africa’s Northern Cape on July 4, 2023. The SKA-Mid telescope will eventually consist of 197 dishes stretching across 150 km in the Northern Cape and is expected to be completed by 2028.
Hosting the International Astronomical Union’s General Assembly (IAU GA 2024) for the first time in Africa on 6–15 August 2024 in Cape Town has laid the foundation for strengthening Africa’s role in global astronomy. South Africa also hosts both the African Astronomical Society (AfAS) since 2019 and the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), established in 2011. Both organizations play pivotal roles in advancing astronomy across the continent, driving collaboration, skills development, and knowledge sharing. These achievements underscore South Africa’s leadership in African astronomy development and its commitment to fostering international collaborations and cutting-edge research.
