Transition to a Science Mega-Project, 2006–2012

Following the “Grass-roots” astronomer-led phase of global collaboration in the SKA project described in the previous Chapter, the transition of SKA to a science mega-project (the “Transition Era”) began in 2006. Three governance entities operated in conjunction in this period (i) the International SKA Steering Committee, (ii) the funding agencies acting collectively in a group, and (iii) the European Commission-funded SKA Preparatory Phase (PrepSKA) Board. This culminated in an Agreement at the end of 2011 amongst the funding agencies and governments to establish a legal entity for the project, the SKA Organisation (SKAO), in the UK in the form of a Company Limited by Guarantee, with governance vested solely in the company. The third phase of governance, the “Pre-Construction Era”, followed until January 2021 when a new governance arrangement, an Inter-Governmental Organisation, came into force for the construction and operation of the SKA Observatory. In this Chapter, we describe the Transition Era in terms of its evolving governance, the major activities carried out, bumps along the road including the US decision at the end of 2011 not to join the SKAO, and the first year of the Pre-Construction Era in 2012. The first major decision of the new SKAO, in mid-2012—where the SKA telescope would be located—is described in Chap. 8 .