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South Africa is proposing the Karoo site in the Northern Cape Province as a site for the central core of the SKA.

With the central core of the SKA located in this south-western part of the country the remote antenna stations would be located on easterly and northerly log spirals up to 3000 km away (Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Madagascar Mauritius, Kenya and Ghana).

Location of the SKA core array in South Africa would have the following benefits:

• A Low RFI environment (Radio Frequency Interferences: The number and strength of RFI sources correlates very strongly with population density and economic activity, so it follows that the SKA site will necessarily be in a remote area. The Northern Cape Province in South Africa is the largest and least populated province in the country, and satisfies the remoteness criterion.

• A dry climate,

• A good existing infrastructure (such as roads and power reticulation),

• Low land prices and low operating costs.

• The Southern Africa region as a whole is also well suited to the larger project goals. For instance, South Africa has appropriately skilled workforce and a well-established telecommunications infrastructure.

More about this location :
News 03.05.05 : SKA site spectrum monitoring in South Africa
Website: SKA in South Africa