China's 110-meter radio telescope completes core structure installation

(ECNS) -- The core structure of a 110-meter radio telescope in Xinjiang has been installed, marking a major milestone for what will become one of the world’s most precise radio telescopes of its size, capable of conducting observations at high radio frequencies.

Located in Qitai County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region , the telescope is built by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).

The completion of the antenna support structure has allowed the project to move into the installation of the elevation structure. Once completed, the telescope will support China’s deep-space exploration.

Ma Wengang, a representative of the project, noted that the telescope’s main structure is designed to support a movable section weighing more than 3,000 metric tons and enable 360-degree rotation around the vertical axis.

According to Xu Qian, chief engineer of the antenna system, the telescope will achieve arcsecond-level pointing accuracy after completion, roughly equivalent to spotting a ping-pong ball from 3.3 kilometers away.

Construction of the 110-meter radio telescope began in September 2022. The main structure is expected to be completed in 2027, with the telescope scheduled to enter full operation in 2028.

(By Liu Shuangjing, Zhang Dongfang)