MeerKAT, precursor to world's largest radio telescope - Prof Justin Jonas

In the quietest corner of the Karoo, stands the 64 dishes of the MeerKAT radio telescope, which enables leading scientists to conduct research on the centre of the Milky Way - 25,000 light years away from Earth. MeerKAT is a precursor of a much larger project, to build the SKA (Square Kilometre Array) in SA and Australia. It will eventually extend into eight countries. The project was given the go-ahead in June 2021. Upon completion, it will be the world’s largest radio telescope. It is a testament to South African scientific capability and innovation, with Professor Justin Jonas (Rhodes University) as the scientist engineer - as well as founder and driver of this ambitious project. He told BizNews about how it created a new generation of scientists, about the data pouring from the telescope, his experience in developing ventilators - and how dealing with the health department made him an even bigger believer in a systems engineering approach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices