Why is it in the news?

• India has approved joining the SKA (Square Kilometre Array) project with a financial commitment of Rs 1,250 crore.

More about the news

• SKAO is an intergovernmental organization with participation from ten countries: Australia, Canada, China, India, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK.
• The headquarters of SKAO is located in the United Kingdom.
• SKAO’s primary goal is to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes to transform the understanding of the Universe.
• The observatory aims to explore the formation and evolution of galaxies, delve into fundamental physics in extreme environments, and investigate the origins of life.
• The observatory consists of two telescopes situated at radio-quiet sites in South Africa and Australia.
• Associated facilities are established to support the operations of these telescopes.

India’s Contribution

• India actively contributes to SKAO through the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), which is based in Pune.
• India has been involved in the development of SKA since the 1990s, showcasing a sustained commitment to radio astronomy advancements.
• India’s primary contribution lies in the development and operation of the Telescope Manager element.
• Specifically involved in creating the “neural network” or the essential software that facilitates the functioning of the telescope.

Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT)

• GMRT is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), which is part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
• Recognized as the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope, operating within the frequency range of 110-1,460 MegaHertz.
• GMRT played a pivotal role in scientific breakthroughs, contributing to the detection of nano-hertz gravitational waves for the first time.
• Specifically, GMRT’s involvement enabled the identification of gravitational waves originating from massive black hole pairs, each several million times more massive than the Sun.