Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act – Promulgation – Karoo Central Astronomy Advantage Areas

ICASA Media Release on the potential impact of the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act, 2007 on existing and future frequency spectrum licensees (September 2010)

Declaration of Areas to be Core Astronomy Advantage Areas in terms of the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act, 2007 (August 2010)

The Karoo Core Astronomy Advantage Area was declared on 20 August 2010, by the Minister of Science & Technology for the purposes of radio astronomy. The area consists of three pieces of farming land of 13 407 hectares in the Kareeberg and Karoo Hoogland Municipalities purchased by the National Research Foundation. The Karoo Core Astronomy Advantage Area will contain the MeerKAT radio telescope and the core planned Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope that will be used for the purposes of radio astronomy and related scientific endeavours.

The Department of Science & Technology has released draft regulations setting out the protection against detrimental radio frequency interference to be afforded to the MeerKAT Radio Telescope and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), should this be awarded to South Africa.

If you are involved in RF in the Karoo area (bounded roughly by Calvina, Upington, Beaufort West and De Aar) these should be of interest.

The drafts were open for comment until 6 March 2009.

Draft Regulations: MeerKAT
Draft Regulations: SKA

Policy:

Policy Direction – Square Kilometre Array (May 2010)

Draft Policy Direction – Square Kilometre Array (December 2009)