SKA-MPI Telescope

About SKA-MPI Telescope

The SKAMPI (Square Kilometre Array-Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy) telescope is a 15-metre prototype radio dish situated at the Losberg site near the historic Excelsior farm area within the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) reserve in the Northern Cape. Designed as a technology and science testbed for the international SKA-Mid array, the telescope has officially transitioned to science operations, utilizing a specialized Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) S-band receiver and a commercial GPU-based computer backend for data processing. Operating in the radio-frequency interference-protected environment of the Karoo desert, SKAMPI leverages its large field of view and rapid sky coverage to conduct observations in pulsar timing, cosmic magnetism, and spectropolarimetry. The facility serves a critical role in validating the engineering, data acquisition systems, and scientific workflows required for the full-scale deployment of the global Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) mega-science project.