An artist's rendering of a vast desert array of hundreds of white radio dishes pointed at the sky under a starry night, representing the future Deep Synoptic Array in Nevada.
An artist's rendering of a vast desert array of hundreds of white radio dishes pointed at the sky under a starry night, representing the future Deep Synoptic Array in Nevada.

Science By June

This leap in radio astronomy offers clearer views of fast radio bursts and neutron star collisions, useful context for a colleague or space enthusiast following the field’s next chapter.

World’s Most Sensitive Radio Telescope Approved Story flow and key facts

This open-access approach aligns with three other Schmidt Science-funded observatories, including the first private space telescope. The DSA is expected to achieve first light in 2029, marking a transformative moment for both professional and amateur astronomers worldwide.

Facts

  • The Deep Synoptic Array (DSA) has passed its final design review and will begin construction in Spring Valley, Nevada.
  • DSA will feature 1,650 steerable 6.15-meter antennas with room-temperature-sensitive transistors for high-efficiency data capture.
  • It will produce real-time radio images, avoiding the need to store 100 exabytes of raw data.
  • The observatory will be 100 times faster at surveying the sky than any current radio telescope.
  • All DSA radio images will be publicly available without a proprietary period starting with first light in 2029.
  • The project is funded by Schmidt Sciences and led by Caltech, with principal investigator Gregg Hallinan and co-PI Vikram Ravi.

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