Law of 29 January 2026 authorising the approval of the agreement between the French government and the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) on France's accession to the Observatory

This law authorises the French government to formally approve the international agreement between France and the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), granting France full membership in one of the most ambitious radio telescope projects in history. The SKA is a next-generation radio telescope network with a total collecting area of approximately one square kilometre, spread across sites in South Africa and Australia. France's accession gives French astrophysicists and research institutions direct access to the observatory's observational capabilities, which are expected to be unmatched across virtually all domains of astrophysics — including cosmology, pulsar timing, gravitational wave detection, the search for extraterrestrial life, and the study of galaxy formation. The law is an enabling act: it does not regulate scientific priorities or funding allocations in detail, but rather provides the legal basis for the bilateral agreement with SKAO to enter into force under French law. As a member state, France will contribute to the construction and operational costs of the facility and gain proportional access to telescope time for its scientific community.

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