The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) is a radio telescope array located at Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) in the Mid West region of Western Australia. The facility began as a technology demonstrator for the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an internationally-planned radio telescope which will be larger and more sensitive. The ASKAP site has been selected as one of the SKA's two central locations. It is operated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and forms part of the Australia Telescope National Facility. Construction commenced in late 2009 and first light was in October 2012. ASKAP consists of 36 identical parabolic antennas, each 12 m (39 ft) in diameter, working together as a single astronomical interferometer with a total collecting area of approximately 4,000 m2 (43,000 sq ft). Each antenna is equipped with a phased-array feed (PAF), significantly increasing the field of view. This design provides both fast survey speed and high sensitivity.
