The Ska (“Square Kilometre Array”) Project: A South African - Australian Partnerships Project in Pursuing an International Interest to Advance Science and Development Globally.

The paper documents international efforts (involving 13 countries and 100 organisations globally) to build the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope with an area of one square kilometre - hence the name 'SKA project' - in which South Africa shares the rights with Australia, to became the physical sites for the construction of three SKA radio telescopes; two in South Africa with the support of African countries, and one in Australia. According to SKA Africa (www.ska.ac.za), “The scale of the SKA represents a huge leap forward in both engineering and research & development towards building and delivering a radio telescope, and will deliver a correspondingly transformational increase in science capability when operational. The SKA will augment, complement and lead the way in scientific discovery.” The paper asks the obvious and simple questions, what is the sociological implications of this global-local relational dynamic and the convergence of science and technology in human social collaborations in understanding the Universe we live in? What lessons can be learned from this project in international partnering for environmental matters and environmental movements?