Engage SKA Portugal

15/03/2026

Contacto: noticias do SKA! A construção avança, o talento prepara-se.

🆕 The latest issue of Contact magazine is out now!

Read it here 👉 https://issuu.com/ska_telescope/docs/contact_19

In this edition:
📡 A closer look at SKA-Mid's recent technical milestones
💬 Isaac Magolego explains how investing in radio astronomy changes lives
💫 A record-breaking 'cosmic laser', and more SKA pathfinder science
🏗️ The latest construction news from the SKA telescope sites
💭 Reflections from our Director-General Prof. Philip Diamond as the end of his tenure approaches

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With thanks to our partners for their contributions, including:
South African Radio Astronomy Observatory - SARAO, CSIRO, ASTRON - Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, The University of Manchester, ICRAR, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, and Chalmers University of Technology

15/03/2026

🏗️ Two more big lifts bring our total to nine SKA-Mid dishes now standing tall in South Africa! 9️⃣ 📡

In February the team successfully completed two lifts, which involves hoisting the main 15-metre-wide reflector onto the pedestal, something we can only do when there is very little wind.

While new dishes continue to be assembled, the others undergo rigorous testing of their structure and subsystems.

South African Radio Astronomy Observatory - SARAO

28/09/2025

NEWS: SKAO's impact highlighted to G20 in South Africa! 🇿🇦

During a series of events on the occasion of South Africa’s presidency of the G20 this week, the SKAO was able to showcase its work and the role of science in society to representatives of the world's largest economies:
🎤 SKAO Director-General Prof. Philip Diamond addressed the G20 Research and Innovation Ministerial Meeting.
🌍 The first SKAO ministerial-level council meeting took place.
📡 Representatives of 26 countries were welcomed on the SKA-Mid telescope site for a unique visit.

Read more: https://loom.ly/xzIWDJY

Made possible through the help from Department of Science,Technology and Innovation SA and South African Radio Astronomy Observatory - SARAO

23/09/2025

𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌: We're looking forward to hearing from this stellar group of speakers at . Join us for a full afternoon Space Plenary Session with panels on how we can come together to Ensure Equitable and Responsible Access to Space through Global Cooperation. From policy leaders to technical experts and emerging space actors, we can all bring our skills and commitment to this global challenge. Out of science to policy.

🚀 UNGA80 Science Summit – Space Plenary Session
📍 CURE, 345 Park Avenue, South, New York | Hybrid (on-site & online) - updated location
📅 Friday, 26 September 2025 | 14:00-17:30 ET (UTC–4)

The space environment is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by new commercial capabilities such as mega-constellations, autonomous spacecraft, and low-cost launch systems. But alongside the benefits come urgent sustainability concerns—orbital congestion, space debris, interference with radio-quiet zones, and rising inequality in access to space.

As the use of space to advance the SDGs expands, so too does the risk of making space itself unsustainable—a growing challenge dubbed the space sustainability paradox. Stronger governance frameworks, equitable access to space-derived data, and investment in foundational sciences like space geodesy are essential for ensuring a fair, secure, and sustainable future in space. Topics:

🛰️ Cooperation and Responsible Use of Space
📜 Regulatory Gaps and Governance
🌐 Data as a Global Public Good
🎓 Space Horizons: Capacity & Education
📡 Space Geodesy: The Hidden Enabler
🌱 Space Environmentalism & Sustainability
🌍 African Access to Space & Leadership

🔗 Register & learn more: https://sciencesummitnyc.org/