Overview

• The weeklong meeting in Görlitz draws 550 researchers from a dozen countries to shape the next phase of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory project.
• Organizers showcased a working prototype control room that links Görlitz to remote antenna arrays under construction in South Africa and Australia.
• Science minister Sebastian Gemkow says the center is slated to open in ten years with 1,000 staff and will drive economic and technological renewal in the Lausitz region.
• Public sessions at the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater include expert lectures and student experiments building mini radio telescopes to observe the Milky Way.
• Germany’s participation underscores its ambition to lead in radio astronomy and contribute to global mapping of the universe