Abstract

Invited Talk - Splinter SKA   (MW-1050)

The SKA Observatory: Current Status, Early Use, and User Engagement

Christina Smith
SKA Observatory

After decades of planning, design, and construction, the SKA Observatory is approaching a major transition: real SKA data will soon be available to the global community. Science Verification is the point at which the SKA starts to become real for users: the first shared test of the data, the systems, and the support model, together that will underpin decades of SKA science. This talk will provide an update on SKA-Low and SKA-Mid, including recent construction and commissioning progress, and describe how the SKAO is preparing for Science Verification and the first observing cycles. I will also talk about what the emerging SKA capabilities mean for the community, what users are likely to be able to do initially, and how data access and user support are expected to evolve.