FIELD TRIP
Explore advanced radio telescopes at the SKA in the Karoo
Field trip date: 3 December 2025
Organisation: SARAO
City: Carnarvon, Western Cape
Tour capacity: 7 people
Health, safety or general restrictions and terms and conditions
Please find below the necessary requirements regarding safety, radio frequency interference (RFI) protocols, and equipment for your site access.
Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality (SHEQ)
For safety purposes, please wear safety boots or closed, comfortable shoes while on site. The site is an active construction site. Please also remember that an indemnity form must be signed before traveling to the site.
Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) Protocols
To prevent RFI, no cell phones and other personal devices with bluetooth and WIFI capabilities will not be allowed on site. If you bring a cell phone to the site, these should be powered down complety and switched off. All such devices will be placed in secure lockable safes for the duration of your time on site.
Equipment and Camera Access
If you plan to bring cameras or other equipment onto the site, the specifications must be submitted for approval before your access can be granted. The equipment should then be tested by the SARAO Radio Frequency Interference team. For this to happen, we need the specifications of all equipment by WEDNESDAY 19 November 2025. Once received, the lists will be evaluated, and equipment will possibly need to be tested in our RFI chamber. From there, permits will be issued depending on the restrictions imposed on us.
This field trip is fully booked.
An inside look at the SKA through science, innovation and conservation in the Karoo
Join a site visit to the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (SARAO) Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in the Karoo. The visit includes presentations and a guided tour of the facilities, along with a drive through the telescope arrays (KAT-7, HERA, MeerKAT and SKA-MID). This will be followed by a Q&A session and a quiver tree conservation tour with South African National Parks (SANParks).
SARAO leads South Africa’s participation in the SKA, covering engineering, science and construction. It is a National Facility managed by the National Research Foundation and incorporates key radio astronomy instruments and programmes.
The SKA project is an international collaboration to build the world’s largest radio telescope, with a total collecting area of one square kilometre (one million square metres).
The desert regions of South Africa provide the ideal radio-quiet environment for the high- and medium-frequency arrays that will form a vital part of the SKA’s ground-breaking, continent-wide telescope.
Itinerary
Times to be confirmed:
Pick-up at CSIR ICC/Hotels (Pretoria)
Arrive at Lanseria Airport
Refreshments and briefing by Milisa Kentane
Transfer to Carnarvon, Northern Cape
Presentations and tours (KAT 7, Hera, MeerKAT, SKA-Mid)
Quiver tree conservation tour with SANParks
Lunch at Losberg site
Transfer to Lanseria Airport
Drop off at CSIR ICC