‘Common science vision’ for European astronomy reaffirms strategic role of SKA project

The ASTRONET Science Vision and Infrastructure Roadmap 2022-2035 aims to be a resource for policymakers and science leaders to support informed decisions that more effectively and efficiently direct scientific discovery.

The previous roadmap – published in 2007 and revised in 2015 – included recommendations that highlighted the strategic importance of the SKA to the European astronomy community and were critical to gathering support for the project from funding bodies. 

The new version emphasises that the completion and commissioning of the SKA telescopes and Regional Centres are of “key strategic importance”. It also analyses where the SKA Observatory (SKAO) will make key contributions to tackling the most important science questions, now and into the future with later phases of the SKA telescopes.

ASTRONET was formed in 2005 as a consortium of European funding agencies and research organisations (the European Southern Observatory, European Space Agency, and the SKAO are all engaged with its work). One of its key goals is to deliver a strategic plan and an infrastructure roadmap and to promote the adoption of the roadmap recommendations.

Visit ASTRONET’s website for the full roadmap.