SKA Observatory Establishment and Delivery Plan

This document is the plan for the establishment and delivery of the SKA Observatory (SKAO). It is a
companion to the SKA1 Construction Proposal. Together, these two documents lay out all the
essential elements necessary to build SKA phase 1 and establish the SKA Observatory as a scientifically
productive entity. The plan covers the first decade from the formation of the Observatory as a new
international entity and the start of construction, to the first couple of years after the formal
completion of the construction program.
This document, the Observatory Establishment and Delivery Plan, describes how the SKA Observatory
will operate and the resources required to do so. It identifies all the non-capital costs associated with
the Observatory activities. This Plan is structured in three streams of activity – business enabling
functions, Observatory operations, and the SKA Observatory Development Program.
The SKA will be operated as a single Observatory, comprising two telescopes – SKA1-LOW and SKA1-
MID – operating across three host countries: Australia, South Africa and headquartered in the United
Kingdom. The principal purposes of this document are to define: a) how the SKA Observatory will be
operated, including the operation of its two telescopes; and b) the resources required.