Swedish technology enables cutting-edge science
Band 1 feed
The SKA Observatory awarded AAC Omnisys, an SME that develops and manufactures high-precision measuring instruments for space projects, a €12m contract, to deliver the Band 1 feeds for the SKA-Mid telescope, representing the largest contract the SKAO has awarded to Sweden.
The Band 1 feed covers a frequency range from 350 MHz to 1050 MHz. Each receiver measures a metre across and weighs 180 kg. As the system is bigger than the usual hardware produced by AAC Omnisys, the company is building new facilities to fulfil the contract, with 80 integrated receiver systems due to be delivered by the first quarter of 2027.
The receivers are based on a prototype first developed by Sweden’s Onsala Space Observatory, a key partner in the SKA project for many years. The Band 1 feed prototype went through years of development and testing both in Canada and in South Africa on the MeerKAT telescope, a precursor to SKA-Mid, before passing its design review and getting selected by the SKAO.
AAC Omnisys, an AAC Clyde Space company, has built expertise in the space and astronomy sector by working with the European Space Agency, and the European Southern Observatory on the international ALMA radio telescope in Chile.
We are proud to have such a central part in turning the SKA into reality, highlighting our innovative approach to quality systems and solutions. We are making space for our future!
Digitiser
A spinoff of Chalmers University of Technology, Qamcom is a Swedish research and technology SME working on hardware, software and system development. The company has been tasked with delivering the digitisers for the SKA-Mid dishes, but also with responsibility over the complete subsystem, which plays a critical role for the telescope to achieve its challenging scientific goals.
The digitisers will transform the analogue radio signals received from space by the receivers located on each of the dishes into amplified and clean digital signals that can be transmitted over distances of several dozen kilometres and then processed.
During the process, non-essential data is filtered and both external and internal noise is minimised to avoid contaminating the data, a complex requirement given the location of the digitiser on the dish itself. Working on the SKA project has given Qamcom access to new markets for talent and other opportunities to work with SMEs on big science infrastructures.
We consider this prestigious assignment to be a tremendous honour, not only for Qamcom but also for Sweden as a whole, positioning us on the global map as a forefront technology provider in the science context.
The Qamcom group also encompasses a sister company, Ranatec, which specialises in manufacturing test and measurement products. Ranatec rebuilt its lab to handle the stringent testing and manufacturing for the SKA-Mid digitisers and developed improvements to the prototype to make it better suited for full-scale production.
Qamcom is collaborating closely with Sweden’s Onsala Space Observatory, part of Chalmers University of Technology, which is leading Swedish interests in the construction of the SKA telescopes.