Probing the invisible universe with CART (Chinese Argentine Radio-Telescope)
Space Geodesy at the OAFA
Keywords:
Radiotelescope, space geodesy, OAFA, colocation, ITRFAbstract
Since 1991, the Félix Aguilar Astronomical Observatory (OAFA) of the National University of San Juan (UNSJ) and the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC), part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have maintained a long and successful agreement of international cooperation between both countries. The first agreement was materialized in 1992 with the arrival, at the OAFA headquarters, of a PAII Photoelectric Astrolabe astrometric telescope. Later, in 2005, a Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) system arrived, and in 2012 a GPS receiver, which was replaced six years later with a modern GNSS unit provided by the National Geographic Institute of Argentina. In addition, as a result of an agreement with the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) of France, a Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) beacon was installed in 2018. These three spatial geodetic techniques are co-located according to the precision standards required by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS). Currently, at the high-altitude station of OAFA, the Carlos U. Cesco Station in Barreal, the final stage of assembly is underway for a large radio telescope with a 40-meter diameter antenna, called the Chinese Argentine Radio-Telescope (CART). CART's working frequency will range from 1 GHz to 45 GHz, initially covering the S and X bands for geodesy, and later the L, C, Ku, K, Ka, and Q bands for astrophysical studies. The first light will be in the S and X bands (2–4 GHz and 8–12 GHz), contributing to the establishment of the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) and the realization of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF). The first light is expected by the end of the first half of 2026. This work describes the spatial geodetic techniques installed at OAFA and outlines the organization and objectives of CART’s operation.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ricardo César Podestá, Ana Maria Pacheco, Johana Elizabeth Quinteros, Marcelo J. Segura, Alejandro Navarro, Hernán Alvis Rojas, Natalia L. Maza
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