The main structure of China’s colossal fully steerable radio telescope has been successfully capped in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s scientific endeavors.
Nestled in the foothills of the Tianshan Mountains in Qitai County, the telescope features a single dish measuring 110 meters in diameter and weighing over 6,000 tonnes. Its fully steerable design will enable astronomers to observe 75 percent of the celestial bodies in the sky, vastly expanding China’s ability to explore the universe.
Construction of this massive telescope began in September 2022 and is expected to be completed by 2028. The next phases will involve the installation of advanced equipment and rigorous system testing to ensure optimal performance.
China is also building another fully steerable radio telescope—the world’s largest to date—with a diameter of 120 meters in Jilin Province. These developments place China at the forefront of astronomical research and technology.
Currently, the world’s largest operational fully steerable radio telescope is the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, United States, which has a dish measuring 100 meters by 110 meters. Compared to fixed radio telescopes of the same size, fully steerable models like China’s offer the advantage of observing a much larger portion of the sky.
These advancements not only signify China’s growing capabilities in space exploration but also contribute to the global scientific community’s understanding of the cosmos.
