A radio telescope dubbed Transient Array Radio Telescope (TART) has been launched at the Technical University of Kenya (TU-K), the first ever astronomy installation of its kind in Kenya. Such other installations in the continent are only found in South Africa and Mauritius.The telescope, incorporating recent technologies of radio telescopes, was installed atop TU-K’s S-Block building. This is a milestone in space research in Kenya bringing together industry players, government agencies, universities and research institutions.

The newly installed radio telescope is calibrated to receive radio signals from space objects like satellites, stars, planets, galaxies among other interesting celestial bodies at ~1.575 GHz.

Similar equipment, but with more powerful radio receivers, are found in the United States (Jansky Very Large Array), South Africa (MeerKAT) and Australia (Australian Telescope Compact Array).

“Just like typical radio waves, objects in the space also emit radiation at wavelengths that interest astronomers, informing of their physical properties like temperature, density, energies, kinetics or motions; such information are critical here on earth,” said Dr. Willice Obonyo.

The astrophysics expert and a Lecturer at the Department of Astronomy and Space Science at TU-K said that cutting-edge innovations in astrophysics are borrowed by other disciplines. The study of the sun for instance yielded production of nuclear energy; aperture synthesis, a technique for forming images from a combination of telescopes - interferometers, was later borrowed in medical imaging.

Other day-to-day examples of borrowed technologies from space research include Global Positioning System and wireless fidelity (Wifi) among other benefits that have driven technological progression, human curiosity and gaining knowledge that has far-reaching practical applications benefiting humanity and the environment.

Dr. Obonyo was speaking at the sidelines of a TART training and installation workshop held at TU-K in August 2024. “This telescope is important to researchers and students studying Electrical Engineering (electrical receivers/antennae), Computer Science (software development) and Astrophysics (space studies and imaging techniques),” Dr. Obonyo added.

The space observatory project - TART- is spearheaded by Kenya Space Agency and brings together a number of universities in Kenya including TU-K, Kenyatta University, University of

Nairobi and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Other partners include National Research Foundation, South Africa Radio Astronomy Observatory and Electronics

Research Foundation.

Kenya Space Agency Acting Director General, Brig. Hillary Kipkosgey, who was the keynote speaker during the workshop, said that the telescope installed at TU-K was important in building curiosity among students, providing research and collaboration opportunities among universities locally and internationally, government agencies and other research institutions.

“The telescope setup at TU-K provides an opportunity for space community in Kenya and internationally; it is an affordable technology marvel to students, young scientists, and researchers in this field. This is a testament of what we can achieve through innovation and research,” said Brig. Kipkosgey.

The five-day workshop was facilitated by experts from Rhodes University, South Africa including Prof. Oleg Smirnov, Benjamin Hugo and Rikus Human. The team trained space science experts from TU-K, KSA, UoN, JKUAT and KU. They also helped in installing the telescope.

Tim Molteno from the University of Otago, who is also the Principal Investigator (PI) of the project, spoke via video-conference during the TART installation workshop.

The Acting Dean Faculty of Applied Science and Technology (FAST), Prof. George Amolo and

Prof. Paul Baki, a Professor of Physics at TU-K, a Space Science lead in Kenya and a member of the International Astronomical Union, also gave keynote speeches during the launch.