The Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT), Italy's largest radio telescope, was officially inaugurated in 2013 after several years of construction and testing. A collaboration of Italian research institutions, its history traces back to 2003 and has made it one of the most technologically advanced radio telescopes in the world.

Conception and construction (early 2000s – 2012)

The Sardinia Radio Telescope project was conceived in 2003 by the Institute of Radio Astronomy (IRA), part of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), as a national and international facility to advance radio astronomy. It was a collaborative effort funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR), the Sardinia Regional Government, the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and INAF.

The primary objective was to build a 64-meter parabolic dish with an active surface and broad frequency coverage, capable of joining Italy’s VLBI network – the Medicina and Noto 32-meter telescopes – and operating as a single-dish instrument from 0.3 to 116 GHz.

A site near San Basilio, Sardinia, at about 600 meters above sea level, was selected to optimize observing conditions (low atmospheric effects and minimal RFI).

The contract for the telescope’s structural and mechanical fabrication was awarded to the German company MT Mechatronics GmbH (MTM, now part of OHB). The foundation was completed in 2004, while the overall construction finished in mid-2012.

Commissioning and initial operation (2013 – 2016)

The telescope's first-light observation occurred on August 8, 2012, before its official opening, pointing toward the Hydra A radio galaxy.

SRT was officially inaugurated on September 30, 2013 after completing its technical commissioning. Following the inauguration, a scientific commissioning phase validated the telescope’s performance and tested various observing modes, including early science such as the study of the magnetar PSR J1745-2900 near the Galactic Center.

By early 2016, the SRT was fully operational and opened to the scientific community, contributing to national and international research programs.

PON upgrades (2019-2025)

In 2019, SRT received further funding from the Italian National Operational Program (PON), allocated by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) to INAF, to upgrade the telescope for higher-frequency observations. About €18.7 million were granted (PIR01_00010) in order to provide the acquisition of a new fleet of high-frequency receivers and state-of-the-art digital backends, an advanced metrology system, dedicated High Performance Computing (HPC) resources, equipment for the development of new microwave technologies, as well as the instrumentation required to integrate all these components. It also included an upgrade of the Medicina and Noto antennas in order to have receivers at high frequency to operate within the VLBI network.

Outreach and visits

Alongside the scientific aspect, the educational aspect has also developed. Visits to the radio telescope have been available since 2009, well before its official inauguration. Today, schools, organized groups, and the general public can book a tour at our Visitor Center to understand all the technology and science related to the Sardinia Radio Telescope. Please visit the dedicated page if you’re interested in visiting the site.