In operation since 2013, the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a powerful low-frequency radio telescope made up of 8,192 antennas spread across more than 30 square kilometres on Wajarri Yamaji Country, around 300 kilometres north-east of Geraldton at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory.
The $5.4 million Phase III upgrade has doubled the telescope’s sensitivity and quadrupled the amount of data it can capture, giving astronomers new tools to probe the Universe’s deepest mysteries – including the birth of the first stars and galaxies more than 13 billion years ago.
It also strengthens the MWA’s critical role as the first fully operational precursor to the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope, now under construction at the same site.
Curtin University vice-chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne said the upgrade was a testament to international collaboration and local innovation.
“The MWA is giving researchers across the globe an unprecedented window into the earliest stars and galaxies,” Hayne said.
“Beyond its scientific breakthroughs, the telescope is creating opportunities for students and early career researchers, supporting WA industry and delivering real economic benefits to the state and the nation.”
MWA director and John Curtin Distinguished Professor Steven Tingay described Phase III as a transformative step.
“The MWA is now better equipped than ever to explore the universe and prepare researchers for the upcoming SKA,” Tingay said.
“We’ve even added a little ‘secret sauce’ into the upgraded system, which is exciting for future discoveries. The MWA remains a globally significant facility producing world-class science while training the next generation of astronomers and engineers.”
Since it began operations, the MWA has produced nearly 400 scientific papers, trained hundreds of PhD candidates and early career researchers, and delivered discoveries such as long-period transients – a new class of astronomical objects.
The upgrade was supported by members of the MWA’s international consortium – including institutions from Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Switzerland and the United States – with Shanghai Astronomical Observatory contributing significant electronics in partnership with Curtin’s Institute of Radio Astronomy. Funding and technical support also came from both federal and state governments and WA-based industry partners.
To mark the milestone, a three-day conference, hosted by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research at Curtin University, is bringing together representatives from partner organisations around the world.