China is in the process of constructing the world’s largest fully controllable radio telescope, located in Huadian City, Jilin Province, in the northeastern part of the country.
Daocheng Solar Radio Telescope begins trial operations. (Photo: China Media Group).
With a diameter of 120 meters, the radio telescope aims to provide scientists with a better understanding of planets and asteroids. A unique feature of this new telescope is its ability to send electromagnetic waves to celestial bodies and receive feedback waves, enabling precise measurements of the distances between planets and Earth.
Luo Xuejiu, the head of the radio telescope project office, stated that the construction site for the telescope was selected in May of this year. So far, the foundation work has been completed, and the installation, adjustment, and testing of the telescope are expected to be finished by 2028.
China has developed an ambitious roadmap to become a leader in space science by 2050. To achieve this goal, the Asian nation has also constructed the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in Guizhou Province, the largest and most sensitive single-dish radio telescope in the world.
In addition, China is building smaller but fully controllable radio telescopes at various locations across the country. Compared to similarly sized fixed radio telescopes, these telescopes can observe a larger portion of the sky.
