Abstract
The South African MeerKAT telescope is in the Karoo near the town of Carnarvon, Northern Cape. The telescope currently operates using 64 antennas that form an array. These antennas are designed to achieve high sensitivity and dynamic imaging range, while also offering an array of functionalities to support a broad spectrum of astronomy. Currently, the telescope faces the challenge of frequent antenna failures, which significantly impacts its availability. Addressing the contributing factors of these challenges is critical to ensure smooth operations of the telescope.
The research data was gathered from the literature and in-depth interviews and analysed to provide insight into issues related to the unavailability of radio telescope antennas for the MeerKAT. Data on the antenna failures and maintenance and mitigation strategies from the literature and interviews were used to address the study's objectives, which were to identify radio telescope antenna failures, maintenance and mitigation measures and gaps in existing mitigations.
Typical antenna failures include mechanical, electrical, environmental, natural ageing and technological upgrades, with a new category of combined factors emerging during the interviews. A comparison of the literature and interviewee data indicated that there are prevalent issues related to the telescope's location and economical operation environment. Therefore, the findings cannot be generalised to other radio telescope observatories, as they are specific to the MeerKAT telescope.
The maintenance and mitigation strategies from the literature and the case study identify existing gaps and provide insight into what could be implemented to reduce antenna failures. Recommendations from the case study findings include improvements in supply chain management, collaborations with environmental experts and the exploration of alternative power supplies. The research provides value in the study of radio telescope antenna failures and the knowledge to manage the failures effectively to ensure availability. Future research can be conducted by using the MeerKAT archived data to offer more in-depth analysis of the failures and to ensure availability.