8 September 2023
Qamcom wins first Swedish contract in SKAO project
Bengt Münter, Project Manager and Christopher Ahlström, Head of Brand and Marketing at Qamcom. Photo: SKAO photo archive
SKAO is building the two largest radio telescopes in the world, located in Australia and South Africa. Qamcom’s contract concerns the SKA-Mid telescope in South Africa. The mission is to design and produce a complete subsystem that will transform analogue signals from space into amplified and clean digital signals.
The project will draw upon the full capabilities of the company, from systems engineering and electronics development to project and production management, as well as verification, installation, and integration.
Strategic step
This order marks an important step for Qamcom into the international Big Science market.
“We’ve previously had contact with Big Science Sweden to discuss strategies, and they helped us build networks,” says Bengt Münter, Project Manager at Qamcom. “Big Science is still a new field for us, but we want to become more firmly established in this market. Big Science Sweden will provide invaluable help in this.”
Christopher Ahlström, Head of Brand and Marketing, emphasises the strategic importance of the order. “The contract requires great expertise, and we’re proud to have won the order against tough global competition,” he comments.
“We consider this prestigious assignment to be a tremendous honour, not only for Qamcom but also for Sweden as a whole. It also gives us the chance to collaborate with people from different countries, find synergies, and showcase Swedish specialist technology.”
Collaboration with Onsala and Chalmers
Qamcom is involved in the SKAO project in collaboration with Onsala Space Observatory and Chalmers University of Technology, which lead Swedish interests in the construction of the SKAO telescopes. John Conway is Director of Onsala Space Observatory and Professor of Radio Astronomy at Chalmers.
“We at Chalmers and at Onsala Space Observatory are delighted that this, the first Swedish industrial contract with the SKAO, has been signed,” he says.
“Scientists in Sweden have been involved in the SKA project since its inception. Now we are excited to have Swedish industry on board, as construction for the SKA telescopes is underway and Sweden is finalising its discussions on membership of the SKAO.”