Germany has announced it will withdraw from the Square Kilometre Array organisation (SKA) in June 2015, the science and technology ministry said on Friday.<\/p>\n
“According to the SKA website, Germany informed the SKA [on Thursday] about its intention to leave the organisation,” spokesman Lunga Ngqengelele said in a statement.<\/p>\n
He said while the decision was regrettable, Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor was satisfied this was not due to lack of confidence in the SKA project.<\/p>\n
“This is rather because of difficult national financial circumstances around the funding of large research infrastructures in Germany and Europe,” said Ngqengelele.<\/p>\n
On its website, the SKA said Germany’s decision would have no immediate consequences on the project due to the limited German funding issued so far.<\/p>\n
“Involvement from German institutions, industry and scientists in the SKA’s science working groups, and in design work, is unlikely to be affected in the short-term,” the organisation said.<\/p>\n
However, as the project entered its construction phase in 2017\/2018, German industry would be most affected as it would no longer be in a position to bid for major engineering contracts to be awarded for construction of the SKA.<\/p>\n
The SKA project is an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope, with a square kilometre (one million square metres) of collecting area.<\/p>\n
The project is taking place in South Africa’s Karoo region and in Australia.<\/p>\n
Ngqengelele said Pandor would, in the coming weeks, set up a meeting with her German counterpart to further discuss the issue.<\/p>\n
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