The MeerKAT telescope is a precursor for the SKA in that it will be located near the Karoo site proposed for the SKA by South Africa, and it will fulfil the role of technology and science pathfinder for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the mid-band SKA. In particular, it will be a pathfinder for the single-pixel wideband-feed technology option for the mid-band SKA. Engineering prototype activities are currently underway, and the construction of the MeerKAT array will begin around 2010/2011.

The reference specification for the array calls for eighty 12-metre antennas extending out to 10 km baselines. A large fraction of the aperture will be concentrated in a compact core supporting baselines of less than 700 m to provide high surface brightness sensitivity for extended emission structures. This compact core will also facilitate the detection and monitoring of transient radio sources.

Although the goal specification for frequency coverage is 0.5-10 GHz the initial instrument will probably employ a feed covering 0.7-2.5 GHz (L- and S-band). This instantaneous frequency coverage will be dictated by the state of development of wideband feeds at the time of commissioning. Future expansion will extend the frequency coverage to the X-band. The goal specification for instantaneous bandwidth is 1 GHz.

The L- and S-band science objectives for the MeerKAT include galaxy evolution, magnetic fields (in the Milky Way, other galaxies and clusters), the Galactic interstellar medium, the intergalactic medium (both continuum and HI emission), and radio transients (including pulsars). Reconfigurable digital backends will provide flexible data processing options for both imaging and time-domain observing modes.