The world’s biggest radio telescope will be build in Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire.
The said project is cost about £1.3billion and an agreement has been made to run the square Kilometer array from Jodrell Bank was signed in Rome, Australia, China, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Italy and the UK.
This new project SKA is designed to answer some key questions regarding the universe.
January of 2012 is said to be the tentative date to open the new headquarters at Jodrell Bank and this will over ride the existing project office at the University of Manchester.
The said observatory has been a great help in discovering new things in the universe since it was established after the Second World War. However, doubts have been surrounding for the future of it because of its constant funding worries.
According to the officials, the new project office for the Square Kilometer Array will offer about 60 new jobs for the next four years.
“The move to Jodrell Bank Observatory comes at a crucial time as the project grows from a concept to an international mega-science project” Professor Richard Schilizzi, director of SKA said.
He also added that the new location and facilities will support the significant expansion that is planned.
The new SKA project is made up of thousands of smaller dish unlike the normal ones with a single dish. This is where the Square Kilometer Array has derived its name.
A stement has been released by SKA project saying that the new telescope will be more efficient than today’s telescope because it gives 50 times the sensitivity and 10 times the survey speed.
The construction on the new project is said to begin in 2016, with more than 20 countries involved and it is expected to be finished in 2024.
This new project is expected to help in revealing the mystery behind how the planets and galaxies were born, gives clue to the nature of dark energy and help to detect signs of alien civilization.
