Air Engineering

The Missions Systems division of BAE Systems are really excited to be working on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) science project.

The project will use the largest ever network of radio telescopes to learn about how the universe was formed and whether there might be life on other planets.

The biggest project of its kind

Thousands of radio telescope dishes and other antennae will be linked together. The signals from all of these will be combined to create a giant virtual radio telescope, which will be the biggest and most powerful radio observatory ever built.

By collecting radio waves carrying signals from gas clouds that were formed even before the first stars, it will be possible to look back billions of years to reveal how the universe formed after the Big Bang.

The project will cost €1.5 billion and will be ready by 2024.

Sharing our expertise across the world

Our engineers are helping to build the SKA. In return, they’ll get to learn lots about how to handle such huge amounts of useful data.

In 2012 a team of international astronomers will decide where the SKA telescope will be built. BAE Systems’ Engineers in South Africa and Australia would both love to have it their country, and are helping the project in all kinds of ways.

‘Megascience’ at its most innovative

Les Gregory, BAE Systems Mission Systems’ Radar Director in the UK, said: “The Square Kilometre Array is international ‘megascience’ at its most innovative.”

“With that ambition comes engineering and project management complexity. BAE Systems has direct experience of large, multinational engineering projects and we will offer advice and support to the SKA development team to ensure the project is on time and delivers its research goals.”

SKA Project Director, Professor Richard Schilizzi said: “The SKA promises to be one of the top global science projects of the 21st century and will probe the origins of the universe.”

The findings of the SKA project will also be useful in other areas, such as information and communication technologies (ICT), wireless communication, sensor technology, and renewable energy.

The Missions Systems division of BAE Systems has signed up to support the exciting Square Kilometre Array (SKA) science project.

The project will use the largest ever network of radio telescopes to learn more about how the universe was formed and whether there might be life on other planets.

The biggest project of its kind

Thousands of radio telescope dishes and other antennae will be linked together across a huge area. The signals from all of these will be combined to create a giant virtual radio telescope, which will be the biggest and most powerful radio observatory ever built.

By collecting radio waves carrying signals from gas clouds that were formed even before the first stars, it will be possible to look back billions of years to reveal how the universe formed after the Big Bang.

The project will cost €1.5 billion and will be ready by 2024.

Sharing our expertise across the world

Mission Systems’ UK engineers based across the UK are lending their project management skills to the SKA Program Development Office to help plan the building of the SKA.

In return they’ll get to learn lots about how the latest research into new radio signal processing techniques can help to handle data rates that far exceed anything currently available.

In 2012 a team of international astronomers will decide where the SKA telescope will be built. BAE Systems’ Engineers in South Africa and Australia would both love for it to be in their countries, and are both supporting the project.

In South Africa they have supplied antennae to the MeerKAT project, and in Australia they are an active member of the Australasian SKA Industry Consortium.

‘Megascience’ at its most innovative

Les Gregory, BAE Systems Mission Systems’ Radar Director in the UK, said: “The Square Kilometre Array is international ‘megascience’ at its most innovative, and will be similar in scale and ambition to projects like CERN’s (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) Large Hadron Collider.”

“With that ambition comes engineering and project management complexity. BAE Systems has direct experience of large, multinational engineering projects and we will offer advice and support to the SKA development team to ensure the project is on time and delivers its research goals.”

SKA Project Director, Professor Richard Schilizzi said: “The SKA promises to be one of the top global science projects of the 21st century. Using innovative receptor technologies and one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, the SKA will probe the origins of the universe.”

The findings of the SKA project will also be useful in other areas, such as information and communication technologies (ICT), wireless communication, sensor technology, and renewable energy.

The Missions Systems division of BAE Systems has signed an agreement to support the exciting Square Kilometre Array (SKA) science project.

This multinational project will use the largest ever radio telescope network to learn more about how the universe was formed and whether there might be life on other planets.

Costing €1.5 billion and expected to be fully operational by 2024, it will seek to answer fundamental questions in physics and astrophysics.

The biggest project of its kind

Thousands of radio telescope dishes and other antennae will be linked together across an area the size of a continent. The signals from all the radio wave receptors will be combined to create a giant virtual radio telescope, which will be larger and 50 times more sensitive than any other radio observatory built to date.

Amongst its functions, the SKA will be able to collect radio waves carrying signals from gas clouds emitted before the formation of the first stars. This will make it possible to look back billions of years to reveal how the universe formed immediately after the Big Bang. It will even test Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Sharing our expertise across the world

Mission Systems’ UK engineers based across the UK are lending their project management skills to the SKA Program Development Office to help plan the building of the SKA.

In return, Mission Systems’ engineers will gain insights into complex research that’s pioneering new radio signal processing techniques required to handle data rates that far exceed anything currently available.

A team of international astronomers will decide the host site for the SKA in 2012, and BAE Systems’ engineers in South Africa and Australia are supporting their respective countries bids to host the telescope. In South Africa they have supplied antennae to the MeerKAT project, and in Australia they are an active member of the Australasian SKA Industry Consortium.

‘Megascience’ at its most innovative

Les Gregory, BAE Systems Mission Systems’ Radar Director in the UK, said: “The Square Kilometre Array is international ‘megascience’ at its most innovative, and will be similar in scale and ambition to projects like CERN’s (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) Large Hadron Collider.”

“With that ambition comes engineering and project management complexity. BAE Systems has direct experience of large, multinational engineering projects and we will offer advice and support to the SKA development team to ensure the project is on time and delivers its research goals.”

SKA Project Director, Professor Richard Schilizzi said: “The SKA promises to be one of the top global science projects of the 21st century. Using innovative receptor technologies and one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, the SKA will probe the origins of the universe.”

“However the spin off technologies will have applications closer to home such as mega-data management, very low-power Radio Frequency devices, and ‘system of systems’ control software”.

In addition to producing groundbreaking science research on the foundations of the universe, the SKA will drive innovation in several other technological fields, including information and communication technologies (ICT), wireless communication, sensor technology, and renewable energy.

“The links to industry are vital for the SKA project”, said Phil Crosby - SKA Industry Participation Manager. “Already we are seeing benefits from strategic engagement, including improved processes for individual and organisational learning from mega-projects”.