A TART installation workshop was held at Universite d'Antananarivo in Madagascar between June 8th and June 12th 2026. The Transient Array Radio Telescope (TART) is an open source radio telescope. Originally developed by Dr Tim Molteno, and students at the University of Otago's Department of Physics. The TART is a radio-telescope with the capability to observe the entire sky continuously and optimized to detect satellites, near-earth objects and transient events including high-energy cosmic rays. The telescope is also designed to serve as a platform for the development of new imaging algorithms.

As part of an effort to install TART telescope in all the African SKA Partner nations, this workshop followed installations in Namibia (2025), Ghana (2025), Zambia (2025), Botswana (2025), Mauritius and Kenya (2024). The workshop was presented by Tim Molteno (University of Otago, New Zealand), Oleg Smirnov (Rhodes University, SARAO, South Africa), Landman Bester (SARAO), Max Scheel (Electronics Research Foundation, New Zealand) and Ben Hugo (SARAO, South Africa) with the support of the local installation team led by Prof Solohery Randriamapandry at Universite d'Antananarivo.

The initiative to place TART telescopes in SKA African Partner nations was started in 2023 and is a joint effort of the University of Otago, Rhodes University, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), the DARA programme and the Electronics Research Foundation. The final deployment in a partner nation will be at the Maputo University, Mozambique in November 2026.

Future TART deployments for 2026 are scheduled in Hat Creek USA and the Liguria Region of Italy. Looking forward to 2027, TART deployments are planned in Ethiopia, Egypt, Malawi, Kenya and Malta and Germany.

The TART community are delighted to announce the results of the TART Africa Call for Proposals -- the Breakthrough Listen programme to extend the TART telescope network in Africa, in partnership with SARAO, DARA and Rhodes University. After proposal review, five new TART deployments and installation workshops across Africa were funded.

The TART community are delighted to announce financial support from the Breakthrough Listen programme to extend the TART telescope network in Africa, in partnership with SARAO, DARA and Rhodes University. Up to five additional TART deployments and installation workshops across Africa will be funded by this call.

The call is open to African institutions or consortia interested in hosting a TART telescope. Hosts will be selected for funding based on their site readiness, sustainability, expected impact on Human Capacity Development in the country, and availability of co-funding.

The Center for Astronomy, Space Science and Astrophysics (CASSA) of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) held a five-day workshop, titled “Installing a Radio Telescope to Image the Invisible”, to kick off the installation of a Transient Array Radio Telescope (TART), the first instrument of its kind in Bangladesh.

A TART telescope featuring the latest spiral kitset was put on display by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SRAO) at a G20 ministerial meeting at the MeerKAT SKA site near Carnavon in South Africa. The Transient Array Radio Telescope (TART) is an open source radio telescope.

A TART installation workshop was held at Copperbelt University (CbU) in Kitwe, Zambia between June 2nd and June 6th 2025. The Transient Array Radio Telescope (TART) is an open source radio telescope. Originally developed by Dr Tim Molteno, and students at the University of Otago's Department of Physics. The TART is a radio-telescope with the capability to observe the entire sky continuously and optimized to detect satellites, near-earth objects and transient events including high-energy cosmic rays. The telescope is also designed to serve as a platform for the development of new imaging algorithms.

As part of an effort to install TART telescope in all the African SKA Partner nations, this workshop followed installations in Botswana (2025), Mauritius and Kenya (2024). The workshop was presented by Prof Oleg Smirnov (Rhodes University, SARAO, South Africa), Dr Tim Molteno (University of Otago, New Zealand) and Dr Ben Hugo (SARAO, South Africa) with the support of the local installation team led by Dr Saul Phiri and Dr Prospery Simpema of CbU.

The initiative to place TART telescopes in SKA African Partner nations was started in 2023 and is a joint effort of the University of Otago, Rhodes University, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), the DARA programme and the Electronics Research Foundation.

Another successful TART installation workshop was held at Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) in Palapye Botswana on March 17-21 2025. This marks the third successful installation of a TART telescope in an SKA African Partner nation, and followed two successful installations in Mauritius and Kenya in 2024. The workshop was presented by Prof Oleg Smirnov (Rhodes University, SARAO, South Africa), Dr Tim Molteno (University of Otago, New Zealand) and Dr Ben Hugo (SARAO, South Africa) with the local installation team led by Dr Fahmi Mokhupuki of BIUST.

The initiative to place TART telescopes in SKA African Partner nations was started in 2023 at the suggestion of Carla Mitchell-Sharpe, Africa Programme Manager at SARAO. The Botswana workshop was funded by SARAO, the DARA programme, and the Electronics Research Foundation.

A successful TART installation workshop was held at Technical University of Kenya, on August 26-30 2024. This workshop was sponsored by SARAO, and the local organizing committee was led by the Kenyan Space Agency, with the able assistance of Dr Willis Odobo. This was the first install of the new spiral antenna concept, and the first install of a TART telescope in an African partner nations. Three members of the TART team, Prof Oleg Smirnov (Rhodes University, South Africa), Mr Rikus Human (Electronics Research Foundation, New Zealand), Dr Ben Hugo (SARAO, South Africa), travelled to the workshop to help with the install.

A successful TART installation workshop was held at Université des Mascareignes, on April 14-19 2024. This workshop was sponsored by SARAO, and the local organizing committee was led by Dr Keshav Sewraj. This was the first install of the new spiral antenna concept, and the first install of a TART telescope in an African partner nations. Three members of the TART team, Prof Oleg Smirnov (Rhodes University, South Africa), Dr Max Scheel (Electronics Research Foundation, New Zealand), Dr Nadeem Oozer (SARAO, South Africa), travelled to the workshop to help with the install.

The first international TART workshop was held at Rhodes University from 9-13 October 2023. This workshop was sponsored by SARAO, and the local organizing committee was led by Dr Stanley Kuja. The press release from SARAO is here.

Members of the TART team were there were myself, Rikus and Ben.