India celebrates joining Square Kilometre Array Observatory as member country, to set up regional data centre

Prof Yogesh Wadadekar of NCRA-TIFR who is coordinating the effort to build the SRC in India said that the centre will process, store and provide access to SKAO data products for the astronomy community.

From L to R- Sunil Ganju, Head of the Programmes Division, DAE, Dr A K Mohanty, Secretary, DAE, Prof Phil Diamond, Director General of SKAO and Prof Yashwant Gupta, Centre Director, NCRA

“You don’t have to wait for a complete telescope array to use it. Starting 2026, we will be doing early science,” Prof Phil Diamond, Director General, Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), said. He was in Pune on Wednesday to celebrate India’s recent membership in the SKAO. “There are myriad challenges, but we are largely on track and delving deeper to enhance our understanding of the Big Bang to the origins of life. The SKAO is one of the great scientific endeavours of the 21st Century and we are glad India is part of it,” he added.

The SKAO is an intergovernmental organisation that brings countries from around the world to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes to transform our understanding of the universe. With HQ in the UK,the SKAO’s two telescopes are at radio-quiet sites in South Africa and Australia. India is among the 12 member countries. India formally joined the SKAO Council in July 2024.

India had earlier approved participation in this international mega-science project with a commitment of Rs 1,250 crore, funded jointly by the Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Science and Technology to support India’s activities in the SKA project up to 2031.

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Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, who was present at the event held at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), hailed this remarkable milestone which DAE has achieved in the platinum jubilee of its existence. “This mega science international collaboration puts India ahead in the global scientific forum,” he said.

The Indian science community is gearing up for an active role in the SKAO, said Prof Yashwant Gupta, Centre Director, NCRA-Pune, that is the nodal institution for coordination of Square Kilometre Array (SKA) related activities in the country. “Previously, India was an associate member at SKAO Council. Following phase wise approvals, India has become a full member and we are developing a regional data centre. A small prototype centre is ready for use, Gupta said, adding that there would be more active participation in SKA data challenges. “We have some well-defined roles including contributing to data processing software,” he said.

Prof Yogesh Wadadekar of NCRA-TIFR who is coordinating the effort to build the SRC in India said that the centre will process, store and provide access to SKAO data products for the astronomy community.

Prof Pankaj Jain of IIT Kanpur, the SKA-India consortium Chair of 24 academic and research institutes, said India has made significant contributions to the critical software elements at the heart of SKA telescopes. “India will continue its work to supervise the development of the Observatory Monitor and Control system, which will issue commands required to carry out astronomical observations. In delivering this crucial element we will engage with the expertise of the software industry. We are currently in the process of setting up training programmes for UG and PG students in all aspects of radio astronomy,” he said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More

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