(ECNS) -- China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, known as FAST, is replacing the six steel cables that support its feed cabin with domestically manufactured alternatives, the National Astronomical Observatories of China said Thursday.
The six cables total nearly 4,000 meters in length, with each weighing more than six tonnes. The replacement work is expected to last until late June.
The 30-metric-ton feed cabin — a core component of FAST — relies on the cables to achieve real-time positioning within a 140-meter-high altitude and across a 206-meter range.
Each cable undergoes hundreds of bending and load cycles daily and is designed to operate for five years without wire breakage.
FAST previously relied on imported cables. In 2023, researchers began developing domestic alternatives, subjecting them to tens of thousands of sliding cycles and pulse fatigue tests.
By August 2025, the new domestic cables had been successfully developed following three rounds of iterative trials. The cables have since been delivered to the telescope site for installation.
The upgrade is expected to reduce reliance on imports and reflects advances in domestic materials and engineering capabilities.
(By Tang Yuxian)
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