Yesterday, 4 July 2013, we officially opened our newest office space for CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, in Western Australia.

But it’s really more than just office space; the MRO Support Facility is actually the new support hub for our ASKAP telescope and the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO), which is located about 350km inland from the coastal city of Geraldton.

The MSF was designed as the ‘home base’ for CSIRO staff whose primary role it is to provide remote operations services for ASKAP.  Aside from the office essentials, the following features are also packed into the building:

• An Operations Room that allows researchers to remotely access, operate and monitor the ASKAP telescope, as well as other projects underway at the MRO.
• A Portal Room that will provide access for regional researchers who have been awarded time on iVEC’s Pawsey Centre supercomputer in Perth via a super-high speed network link.
• Workshop space for the repair of ASKAP equipment where on-site repairs are not appropriate.
• Meeting and conference facilities, as well as a home base for CSIRO’s Educational and Outreach activities in the region.

The MSF will also provide support services for the other international projects under development at the MRO, such as the Murchison Widefield Array and the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope.

Yesterday’s ceremony was a local community event held to not only mark the official opening of the MSF, but also a chance for us to say “thank-you” to the regional stakeholders from the area who have been crucial in the establishment of the MRO, the ASKAP telescope and also the MSF itself.

Read more about the MRO Support Facility.