Botswana has become the latest African country to install the Transient Array Radio Telescope TART, further strengthening Africa’s capabilities in radio astronomy.
This follows the successful installation of the telescope in Kenya, Mauritius, and South Africa, which complements a broader initiative to develop TART telescopes in the Square Kilometre Array SKA partner countries.
The installation took place during a workshop held at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology BIUST from 17–21 March 2025.
The workshop also focused on capacity building, with talks on radio astronomy and TART data processing delivered throughout the week by team members, including Dr Molteno, Dr Hugo and Professor Smirnov.
The topics included the TART project overview, technical aspects of the TART telescope, radio astronomy imaging, and working with TART data.
The workshop participants included BIUST university postgraduate students, teaching assistants, and staff from the Physics and Astronomy, Computer Science and Telecommunications Engineering Departments.
This initiative is funded by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory SARAO and led by Mrs Carla Sharpe Mitchell, with support from the Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy DARA programme, the Univesity of Otago and the Electronics Research Foundation ERF.
The recent deployment in Botswana represents a further advancement in enhancing Africa’s capacity in radio astronomy, underpinned by the commitment of the TART team and its partners.
Furthermore, as the initiative progresses, it continues to create meaningful opportunities for research and training across the continent, reinforcing Africa’s role within the global radio astronomy landscape and inspiring the next generation of scientists.
Source: https://spaceinafrica.com/2025/04/14/botswana-expands-african-radio-astronomy-network-with-new-tart-telescope/
