ITB Installs Advanced Telescope at Bosscha, Revealing Its Uses

ITB is showcasing advanced telescope technology under construction at the Bosscha Observatory. The Radio Very Long Baseline Interferometry Global Observing System (VGOS) can be used to monitor Earth’s shifts as well as climate change.

The VGOS at the Bosscha Observatory is being built by ITB in collaboration with the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO). The device is part of a global radio telescope network that operates synchronously to observe cosmic radio sources with high precision. Data from various telescopes around the world are combined for highly accurate measurements of distances between points on Earth.

ITB astronomer Taufiq Hidayat explained that currently, the majority of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) radio telescopes are located in the northern hemisphere. The telescope at Bosscha will be one of the first built in the equatorial region, following Brazil.

With the construction of the VGOS radio telescope at Bosscha, Indonesia will play a role in bridging the northern and southern hemispheres.

VGOS technology, among other things, can be utilised to monitor continental movements, changes in the positions of points on Earth’s surface, build high-precision reference frameworks, maintain time standards, and monitor potential climate changes.

Through this tool, the speed of movement and changes in continental distances can be determined with precision.

“Thus, we can determine whether a region has dangerous potential or not,” said Taufiq on ITB’s official website.

The VGOS radio telescope at Bosscha has a 13-metre aperture. On 9 July 2025, the main antenna weighing 85 tonnes was installed. After the antenna installation, construction will proceed to the architectural completion stage, insulation, mechanics, and electrics before entering the astronomy and geodesy commissioning phase.

The VGOS at Bosscha will be equipped with a GNSS receiver, weather station, and holometry antenna, enabling research development from radio astronomy to tectonic plate dynamics.

In addition, ITB is establishing data centre collaborations with international institutions such as TU Wien, TU Munich, SHAO, and KASI, while exploring a role as a VLBI data processing correlation centre. As part of the global International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS) network, ITB is also processing the registration of this station with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the name ITB Bosscha VLBI Station.