Neways to help upgrade the LOFAR telescope

The UniBoard2 allows the LOFAR radio telescope to process more and faster data. The EMS provider has already performed the “Design for Experience” analyzes and is now allowed to start producing and test these complex PCBA:s. The total order is valued at EUR 3 million and the project will start in July 2020. “The tender of the UniBoard2 was carried out in accordance with a careful European tendering procedure. In our assessment, Neways scored highest on both quality and price and has therefore received this order. In addition to the public process of the European tender, Neways has added value for ASTRON for this contract because they have already been successfully involved in the development of comparable complex boards,” says Nico Ebbendorf, Competence Group Leader ASTRON, in a press release. The UniBoard2 is part of the digital upgrade project for LOFAR (DUPPLO) which has been awarded to ASTRON by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. This will allow for multiple forms of astronomical research to be conducted in parallel. This is also expected to open up new possibilities for astronomical scientific research. “We are proud to have received this order from Astron. UniBoard2 will make an important contribution to space exploration. A fantastic example of products using ‘Neways inside’ technology,” says Eric Stodel, CEO Neways Electronics International. The LOFAR telescope consists of a European network of radio antennas, connected by a high-speed fiber optic network in eight countries. The LOFAR has been designed, built and is now managed by ASTRON (Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy), with its core in Exloo, the Netherlands.