23 January 2025
The SKAO signing was celebrated in London – and Göteborg
Astronomer John Conway, director of the Onsala Space Observatory.
Representatives from the Government Offices of Sweden, the Swedish Research Council, and Chalmers gathered at the Swedish Embassy in London to witness Stefan Gullgren, Sweden’s Ambassador to the UK, sign the SKA Observatory convention.
At the same time, researchers, company representatives, and students attended a celebratory event at Chalmers to mark the occasion and follow the signing in the UK.
A delighted John Conway gave a lecture on how he telescopes will give us new insights into how galaxies, stars, and planets came into being, and also provide clues to the existence of life beyond Earth.
Very pleased
Paul Häyhänen, Swedish Industry Liaison Officer for SKA (Big Science Sweden), took the opportunity to share:
“John Conway and his team at Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) have been fundamental in the effort to join SKA. An early prototype of the advanced signal receiver for the telescope was developed by researchers at OSO and Chalmers. Swedish high-tech companies have subsequently been awarded several industry contracts to supply over one hundred units of various electronic modules for the telescope.
“As the Swedish Industry Liaison Officer for SKA, I am very pleased that Swedish technology will enhance the quality of the scientific results from SKA.”

The signing event took place at the Swedish Embassy in London, officiated by Stefan Gullgren, Sweden’s Ambassador to the UK.

Susanne Aalto, Professor of Astronomy and Plasma Physics, as well as Deputy President and Deputy CEO of Chalmers, represented Chalmers’ management

Kelley Hess, Senior Researcher at Onsala Space Observatory and Scientific Lead for the Swedish SKA Regional Centre, described the fundamental scientific questions that the SKA aims to address.

A pleasant event, according to Kelley Hess (Onsala Space Observatory), Bengt Münter and Johan Lassing (Qamcom), Peter Sobis (Low Noise Factory), Håkan Nilsson (Big Science Sweden), Patrik Dehlfors (Qamcom), Jörgen Stenarsson (Low Noise Factory), and Paul Häyhänen (Big Science Sweden).

John Conway, and Paul Häyhänen, Swedish Industry Liaison Officer for SKA, who look forward to continued successful collaboration.
Read more
Sweden joins SKAO – unlocking new opportunities in radio astronomy
Sweden has now signed the convention for membership in the SKAO, the organisation behind groundbreaking telescopes in Australia and South Africa —telescopes currently under construction that, once completed, will be the most powerful in the world. Read the article