...the who's who,
and the what's what 
of the space industry

Space Careers

organisation Organisation List

Displaying items by tag: ASTRON

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 18:47

ASTRON

ASTRON is the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy.

ASTRON's programme has three principal elements:

  • The operation of front line observing facilities, including especially the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and LOFAR,
  • The pursuit of fundamental astronomical research using ASTRON facilities, together with a broad range of other telescopes around the world and space-borne instruments (e.g. Sptizer, HST etc.)
  • A strong technology development programme, encompassing both innovative instrumentation for existing telescopes and the new technologies needed for future facilities.

In addition, ASTRON is active in the international science policy arena and is one of the leaders in the international SKA project. The Square Kilometre Array will be the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope with a total collecting area of approximately one square kilometre. The SKA will be built in Southern Africa and in Australia. It is a global enterprise bringing together 11 countries from the 5 continents.

 

ASTRON is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

Published in Organisations
Tagged under
Monday, 25 March 2013 23:33

LOFAR

LOFAR is a very large connected radio telescope, using a new concept based on a vast array of omni-directional antennas.

LOFAR is a Low-Frequency Array for radio astronomy, built by ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy and operated by ASTRON's radio observatory. ASTRON is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.

The project is based on an interferometric array of radio telescopes using about 25,000 small antennas concentrated in at least 48 larger stations. 40 of these stations are distributed across the Netherlands, five stations in Germany, and one each in Great Britain, France and Sweden. Further stations may also be built in other European countries. The total effective collecting area is up to approximately 300,000 square meter, depending on frequency and antenna configuration. The data processing is performed by a Blue Gene/P supercomputer situated in the Netherlands at the University of Groningen. LOFAR is also a pathfinder for the Square Kilometre Array. The Square Kilometre Array will be the world's largest and most sensitive radio telescope. The SKA will be built in Southern Africa and in Australia.

It is a global enterprise bringing together 11 countries from the 5 continents.

Published in Projects

Latest News ...

Week in images: 30 June - 4 July...
Week in images: 30 June - 4 July 2025 Discover our week through the lens

Read more

Boeing lands $2.8 billion deal to build next-gen...
The ESS satellites are central to U.S. nuclear command, control and communications

Read more

Earth from Space: Zanzibar, Tanzania
Image: Earth from Space: Zanzibar, Tanzania

Read more

Antarctic waters getting saltier as sea ice wanes...
Using data from ESA’s SMOS satellite, scientists have revealed a surprising shift in the Southern ...

Read more

Congress passes budget reconciliation bill with $10 billion...
Congress approved a budget reconciliation bill that includes nearly $10 billion for NASA human spac...

Read more

ESA tracks rare interstellar comet
Astronomers have confirmed the discovery of a rare celestial visitor: a comet from beyond our Sola...

Read more

ESA prepares downselect for European Launcher Challenge
The European Space Agency will soon select the finalists for a competition intended to support the ...

Read more