Australia's SKA Bid Falters, New Report Favours South Africa
Artist's impression of the SKA
IMAGE BY Swinburne Astronomy Productions for SKA Project Development Office
Australia’s chances of hosting the Square Kilometre Array have been plunged into doubt by a report from the SKA Site Advisory Committee which recommends South Africa be chosen as the nation to host the telescope.
The panel found that the spreading of the SKA across eight African nations would save money on construction of the telescope and the huge amount of data transfer associated with its research.
But the battle isn’t over yet - the final decision isn’t made by the Advisory Committee, but by a group of four nations - Britain, Italy, China, and the Netherlands - though the negative report on Australia is seen as a major setback.
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett believes Australia’s still in with a chance, and that we’ve done everything we can to sell our nation as the home of the SKA.
"This is not over yet, there's still a number of processes to go through, and I still believe very firmly Australia is the best location for this extraordinary piece of science," Barnett told the ABC.
"I don't believe anything more could have been done, in terms of preparation for the Australia bid. If we don't make it that's a disappoint, but it's not through a lack of effort or funding by the Australian and WA governments."
The final decision on where the SKA will be hosted is expected to be delivered April 4.
[ABC News]