It has been recently published that South Africa has secured the rights to locate about 80 percent of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a $ 2billion project capable of detecting signs of extraterrestrial life in the far reaches of the universe. If the project is formally endorsed and implemented by government, the area (located in the arid terrain of the Northern Cape of South Africa) would become subject to international law thereby precluding controversial hydraulic fracturing activities, or 'fracking' within the project area. The area is considered to contain substantial gas reserves, currently being investigated by energy company Royal Dutch Shell and petro-chemical group Sasol.