Development of a new national facility for Mexican radio astronomy at Tulancingo
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Oxford Physics
Abstract
This project will transfer skills in radio astronomy technology from the UK to Mexico. The government of the Mexican state of Hidalgo is funding the conversion of a 30-m diameter satellite communications antenna to a radio telescope for the use of the Mexican research community. UK researchers will provide training and assistance to the Mexicans in converting the antenna systems, and in designing and building a state-of-the-art cooled radio receiver for the converted antenna. The new radio telescope will be used for education and research in Mexican universities and research institutes, operated either as a stand-alone telescope or as part of larger arrays. The new facility will also be capable of being used as a deep-space network ground station, opening up new commercial opportunities.
Planned Impact
The non-academic impact of this work will be through the education and training of Mexican researchers in technical engineering skills including cryogenic and vacuum engineering, radio-frequency electronics, high-speed digital electronics and signal processing, and computing. All these skills have many applications in fields such as communications engineering, radar, video processing etc. There will also be a positive impact in science outreach to the Mexican public from discoveries and observations that will be made with the new Tulancingo telescope. The opportunities for Mexican companies will also be opened up by using the antenna as a deep-space network ground station.
Organisations
- University of Oxford (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Manchester (Collaboration)
- National Autonomous University of Mexico (Collaboration)
- National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (Collaboration)
- University of Hertfordshire (Collaboration)
- Mexican Space Agency (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS (Collaboration)
- Government of Mexico (Collaboration)
- Center for Engineering and Industrial Development (Collaboration)
- Ministry of Communications and Transport (Collaboration)
Publications
Liu C
(2021)
Characterizing the performance of high-speed data converters for RFSoC-based radio astronomy receivers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
| Description | Mexico 2 - Tulancingo |
| Organisation | Center for Engineering and Industrial Development |
| Country | Mexico |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Leading the overall programme and transfer of technology and skills. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - technical and scientific training for Mexican partners. GES Ltd - industry and commercial links, specifically working with the Mexican partners to look at the future commercial opportunites for long-term sustainability of the programme (based on similar project started between UK academic partners and GES at the Goonhilly site). Mexican partners - develop skills and proceed with the conversion of the Tulancingo Communications antenna. The Government of the State of Hidalgo ahve provided matched funding for the project and the antennas have been donated form SCT Telcomm, in collaboration with AEM. |
| Impact | On-going project. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Mexico 2 - Tulancingo |
| Organisation | Government of Mexico |
| Department | Government of the State of Hidalgo |
| Country | Mexico |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Leading the overall programme and transfer of technology and skills. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - technical and scientific training for Mexican partners. GES Ltd - industry and commercial links, specifically working with the Mexican partners to look at the future commercial opportunites for long-term sustainability of the programme (based on similar project started between UK academic partners and GES at the Goonhilly site). Mexican partners - develop skills and proceed with the conversion of the Tulancingo Communications antenna. The Government of the State of Hidalgo ahve provided matched funding for the project and the antennas have been donated form SCT Telcomm, in collaboration with AEM. |
| Impact | On-going project. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Mexico 2 - Tulancingo |
| Organisation | Mexican Space Agency |
| Country | Mexico |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Leading the overall programme and transfer of technology and skills. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - technical and scientific training for Mexican partners. GES Ltd - industry and commercial links, specifically working with the Mexican partners to look at the future commercial opportunites for long-term sustainability of the programme (based on similar project started between UK academic partners and GES at the Goonhilly site). Mexican partners - develop skills and proceed with the conversion of the Tulancingo Communications antenna. The Government of the State of Hidalgo ahve provided matched funding for the project and the antennas have been donated form SCT Telcomm, in collaboration with AEM. |
| Impact | On-going project. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Mexico 2 - Tulancingo |
| Organisation | Ministry of Communications and Transport |
| Country | Mexico |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Leading the overall programme and transfer of technology and skills. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - technical and scientific training for Mexican partners. GES Ltd - industry and commercial links, specifically working with the Mexican partners to look at the future commercial opportunites for long-term sustainability of the programme (based on similar project started between UK academic partners and GES at the Goonhilly site). Mexican partners - develop skills and proceed with the conversion of the Tulancingo Communications antenna. The Government of the State of Hidalgo ahve provided matched funding for the project and the antennas have been donated form SCT Telcomm, in collaboration with AEM. |
| Impact | On-going project. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Mexico 2 - Tulancingo |
| Organisation | National Autonomous University of Mexico |
| Country | Mexico |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Leading the overall programme and transfer of technology and skills. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - technical and scientific training for Mexican partners. GES Ltd - industry and commercial links, specifically working with the Mexican partners to look at the future commercial opportunites for long-term sustainability of the programme (based on similar project started between UK academic partners and GES at the Goonhilly site). Mexican partners - develop skills and proceed with the conversion of the Tulancingo Communications antenna. The Government of the State of Hidalgo ahve provided matched funding for the project and the antennas have been donated form SCT Telcomm, in collaboration with AEM. |
| Impact | On-going project. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Mexico 2 - Tulancingo |
| Organisation | National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics |
| Country | Mexico |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Leading the overall programme and transfer of technology and skills. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - technical and scientific training for Mexican partners. GES Ltd - industry and commercial links, specifically working with the Mexican partners to look at the future commercial opportunites for long-term sustainability of the programme (based on similar project started between UK academic partners and GES at the Goonhilly site). Mexican partners - develop skills and proceed with the conversion of the Tulancingo Communications antenna. The Government of the State of Hidalgo ahve provided matched funding for the project and the antennas have been donated form SCT Telcomm, in collaboration with AEM. |
| Impact | On-going project. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Mexico 2 - Tulancingo |
| Organisation | University of Hertfordshire |
| Department | School of Physics and Astronomy |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Leading the overall programme and transfer of technology and skills. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - technical and scientific training for Mexican partners. GES Ltd - industry and commercial links, specifically working with the Mexican partners to look at the future commercial opportunites for long-term sustainability of the programme (based on similar project started between UK academic partners and GES at the Goonhilly site). Mexican partners - develop skills and proceed with the conversion of the Tulancingo Communications antenna. The Government of the State of Hidalgo ahve provided matched funding for the project and the antennas have been donated form SCT Telcomm, in collaboration with AEM. |
| Impact | On-going project. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Mexico 2 - Tulancingo |
| Organisation | University of Leeds |
| Department | Astrophysics Group |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Leading the overall programme and transfer of technology and skills. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - technical and scientific training for Mexican partners. GES Ltd - industry and commercial links, specifically working with the Mexican partners to look at the future commercial opportunites for long-term sustainability of the programme (based on similar project started between UK academic partners and GES at the Goonhilly site). Mexican partners - develop skills and proceed with the conversion of the Tulancingo Communications antenna. The Government of the State of Hidalgo ahve provided matched funding for the project and the antennas have been donated form SCT Telcomm, in collaboration with AEM. |
| Impact | On-going project. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Mexico 2 - Tulancingo |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Department | Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Leading the overall programme and transfer of technology and skills. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - technical and scientific training for Mexican partners. GES Ltd - industry and commercial links, specifically working with the Mexican partners to look at the future commercial opportunites for long-term sustainability of the programme (based on similar project started between UK academic partners and GES at the Goonhilly site). Mexican partners - develop skills and proceed with the conversion of the Tulancingo Communications antenna. The Government of the State of Hidalgo ahve provided matched funding for the project and the antennas have been donated form SCT Telcomm, in collaboration with AEM. |
| Impact | On-going project. |
| Start Year | 2017 |