By Simon Nare
South Africa is well on track to make astrotourism a reality and the centre of this venture is the Square Kilometre Array project in the Northern Cape.
Built in the middle of nowhere, the collection of 64 telescopes continuously collects data that is shared with a number of countries.
Although almost entirely funded by South Africa, other countries like Germany, Italy, Netherlands, China and Canada also contribute.
Data sector manager Andrea Walker told reporters during a tour this week that the centre’s second phase, which would be built soon, would be appealing to tourists.
Walker said one of the priorities of the centre would be to lure and encourage youngsters in the area to have a keen interest in scientific research.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille spent Thursday with officials touring the operation centre to get first-hand knowledge of how everything works.
It is a totally different
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