Key milestone reached in 110-metre giant radio telescope construction in Xinjiang
A major milestone has been achieved in the Giant Radio Telescope project in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China: the successful assembly of the three‑layer antenna support structure, marking the final stage of construction for this world‑class scientific facility.
Humanity has always strived to see beyond the horizon, to decipher the mysteries of the universe and our place within it. Each new telescope is not just an engineering marvel but a window into the unknown, revealing what was previously hidden. The Xinjiang project, where dry mountain valleys create ideal conditions for radio observations, promises to become one such “optical system” of the planet, bringing us closer to understanding distant galaxies and the origins of the cosmos.
Located in the valley of Qitai County in the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, the telescope has an aperture of 110 metres — the diameter of the main reflector, which determines sensitivity and resolving power — and is expected to be completed and commissioned by 2028. The project began in September 2022, with the main structure due for completion in 2027. The antenna system stands taller than a 35‑storey building, its receiving area equals 23 basketball courts, and the antenna weighs over 6,000 tonnes.
Once completed, the telescope will become the world’s leading fully steerable, highly sensitive, multi‑purpose large‑aperture radio telescope. Compared with fixed radio telescopes of the same size, fully steerable instruments can observe a much larger portion of the sky.
“The assembly of the three‑layer antenna support is a crucial milestone. It is like giving the giant telescope a firm foothold, providing a reliable and stable structure for the 3,000‑tonne elevation and rotation section, and ensuring smooth rotation of the reflector in all directions around an axis perpendicular to the Earth,” said Ma Wengang, site project director. Besides meeting the needs of scientific observations and experimental research, the giant radio telescope will also serve as a base for astronomy popularisation and education.
“We are currently building the world’s most precise and highest‑frequency fully steerable 100‑metre‑class radio telescope. Upon completion, it will achieve pointing accuracy at the arc‑second level – equivalent to pinpointing a ping‑pong ball at a distance of 3.3 kilometres. Once operational, the telescope will play a key role in frontier research such as space exploration and provide vital technical support for China’s major national missions, including deep‑space exploration,” said Xu Qian, chief engineer of the telescope’s antenna system.
Xinjiang was chosen for a reason: the high‑altitude valley with minimal radio interference and stable atmosphere is ideal for radio astronomy. The new observatory will become part of the global network of large telescopes, complementing existing projects in China (such as FAST) and abroad. The fully steerable design will allow tracking of fast‑moving objects and observations across a wide frequency range, opening new opportunities for studying pulsars, black holes and the cosmic microwave background.
As CCTV+ reports, the completion of the support structure assembly moves the project into its final phase. By 2028, the telescope will become a vital tool for Chinese astronomy and space research, as well as a prominent symbol of the country’s scientific and technological progress. Its data will help scientists worldwide get closer to answering fundamental questions about the structure of the universe.
