South Africa is currently building the Karoo Array Telescope, or MeerKAT, a mid-frequency 'pathfinder' or demonstrator radio telescope, alongside the proposed SKA core site.

The first seven dishes of the local precursor instrument - known as KAT-7 - were completed by December 2010 and are now being commissioned.

It is the world's first radio telescope with dishes made of fibre glass. KAT-7 is an engineering prototype for the 64-dish MeerKAT, but the world's scientists see it as a useful instrument in its own right, and they are keen to switch it on for doing science as soon as possible.

KAT-7 has already delivered images of the Centaurus A, a galaxy 14-million light years away.

The commissioning of KAT-7 is led by Dr Debra Shepherd, currently on secondment to the SKA South Africa Project from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in the USA.

Want to know more?

SKA Science/Engineering
Technical information is available on the SKA Science/Engineering public website.

KAT-7 photographs
Download photographs of the first seven dishes of the local precursor instrument.

MeerKAT animation
View a realistic 3D animation of the MeerKAT telescope as it will appear on-site in the Karoo when it is completed in 2016.

Factsheet: MeerKAT
A factsheet about South Africa's MeerKAT array radio telescope.

Questions and answers about MeerKAT and the SKA
All your questions answered about MeerKAT and the SKA

Media release: Africa to shed light on the dark ages
18 February 2011

Media release: MeerKAT Precursor KAT 7 sees Fringes
10 December 2009